


Sentinels and Guides of the Survey Corps

by improbabledicks (Strawberry_Hill)



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides, Alternate Universe - Sentinels and Guides Are Known, Asexual Levi, Asexuality, F/M, Guide Erwin, Guide Nanaba, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Oral Sex, Sentinel Levi, Sentinel Mike, Sentinel/Guide, Sentinel/Guide Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-21
Updated: 2014-12-28
Packaged: 2018-03-02 13:54:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 27,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2814353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strawberry_Hill/pseuds/improbabledicks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"It hadn’t even occurred to Erwin that they might be compatible, let alone <i>this</i> compatible. He’d long ago given up on the notion that he might find a sentinel one day and bond. As Mike and Nanaba had demonstrated day in and day out, being a bonded pair in the Survey Corps was a heavy burden to bear on both the people involved."</p><p>(note to Mikenana shippers—Mike/Nanaba isn't the main focus, but it's definitely present.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I was SO UPSET when I realized there was no sentinel/guide eruri. Very, very upset. So I wrote my own, and I hope it spurs a million fanfic writers to write more sentinel/guide eruri so I can print it all out and roll around in it.
> 
> If you're not familiar with the sentinel/guide trope, I think there's enough explanation in the fic to get by (Basically, sentinels tend to be very "alpha" and have heightened senses, and guides are able to feel and influence others' emotions. Sentinels bond with guides and they fulfill each others' needs.). Though I'd strongly suggest you read the [fanlore page](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Sentinel_and_Guide) on it. 
> 
> Also, I've already written the entire thing, so it shouldn't take terribly long to edit and post each chapter.
> 
> As always, you can check out my eruri sideblog at [improbabledicks](http://improbabledicks.tumblr.com/).

Chaos. 

Levi’s feet flew, hardly touching the ground as he wove through the streets, his pursuers close behind him. The darkness that enveloped them didn’t matter—his heightened senses meant that he could see perfectly fine in the almost nonexistent light, and besides, he knew every street, every rock, and every hidden alleyway in the massive expanse of the underground. He knew them so well he could have navigated them without his sentinel senses.

It was the only way to stay sane enough to function, because his senses always threatened to betray him. To crash down upon him if he focused on them too hard. Noises would become too much. He would feel every speck of dirt on his skin, see every minute crack in a wall, taste every hint of filth in the air. Left unchecked, his senses would drown him. 

So he distracted himself. Threw himself into memorizing every detail of the wretched mess of an abandoned city he called home. He no longer needed his senses to guide him when he was down here, so he was able to direct them toward more important things. Like the hissing sound of the 3D maneuver gear that followed close behind him in the darkness. 

The Military Police had, unfortunately, become more competent at chasing him. They didn’t even care about his petty theft until he started stealing from people with status. Robbing a street vendor of fruit or bread? Not their problem—they would chase him for a block and then get too lazy to pursue once he was out of the vendor’s sight. But stealing the trinkets of the nobility? Suddenly, the Military Police had a reputation to uphold, and they would chase him until he managed to slip away from them, as he always did. 

Stealing had started as a means of survival when Levi was a young boy, nicking bread and fruit off carts in the street, but his thievery had turned into a crucial distraction when his sentinel traits began to make themselves known as an adolescent. His senses could easily overpower him if he accidentally focused too hard on them, but planning a job—observing his target and determining the best way to steal what he wanted—blocked his senses out and kept them in check.

Now, however, he needed his hearing. The hiss of a wire sounded behind him, and he swiftly dodged into the alley at his left to avoid being seen by the MP coming around the corner. The idiots had actually followed him into the underground this time, so it would only be a matter of time until he lost them. He continued to run, jumping over a fallen chunk stone that he knew lay invisible in the darkness. 

“Shit, where did he go?” he heard one of them mutter a few moments later.

“He was headed down this way a second ago.”

Judging by their voices, they were at the street corner about forty meters away. There was no easy way they would find him now. He didn’t slow his pace, though. Their gear meant they could catch up to him in a heartbeat. To prevent that, he had to stay vigilant. And fast. 

They didn’t follow him, though. Their gear fired again, but they were moving away from him—toward where they thought he had run.  

He slowed slightly, allowing himself to catch his breath. All he had to do was take a few shortcuts and he would be back in his own neighborhood, so at the end of the alley, he quickly scaled the wall and made his way back. 

When he got back to the small, intact room in the abandoned building he called home, and the thrill of the chase diminished, he was left alone with his senses. They threatened to crash down upon him and drag him to the ground, so he immediately threw himself into planning another robbery, picturing the exact route he would take to get to the sickeningly over-the-top mansion he’d been scoping out. 

*

Levi’s next brush with the MPs wasn’t so lucky. He must have really pissed them off, because they recognized him on the street. He hadn’t even stolen anything—he’d just gotten into a fight. Nothing the MPs usually involved themselves with unless it involved someone of influence. 

Fighting was another good distraction. He could focus on the movements of his opponents. Pay attention to the little cues that gave their next move away. Draw his attention away from the chaos that always threatened to drown his senses by honing them in on the blood welling under his bruised skin and the staggered breaths of the person foolish enough to take up his challenge.  

This time it was an oaf who had bumped shoulders with him on the street. He’d shoved the man away, and the brute had rushed at him, enraged. Levi neatly dodged the advance, causing the man to barrel into the display outside of a shop and knock it over. The commotion drew a crowd, and before he could slip away, Levi heard the sound of running footsteps and the clinking of gear. 

“It’s him,” he heard one of them say.

_Shit_. 

He had to get out of there. In the split second his attention was turned, his opponent knocked him down, his head hitting the stone of the ground hard. Sharp pain splintered through his skull, momentarily stunning him. His head swam as he scrambled to his feet, disoriented, before taking off running. 

The fall had jumbled his senses, though. He stumbled through the streets as he made his way toward an entrance to the underground. The MPs followed close behind him—he could hear their feet pounding on the stone, their breaths quickening as they pursued. All he had to do was get to the underground and he would be able to disappear into the shadows and lose them.  

Suddenly their footsteps ceased, and Levi heard the hiss of wires. He felt the air ripple at the back of his neck, and he dove out of the way, feeling a hand brushing just over the back of his shirt as the MP tried to grab him. They barely missed him, but he’d been thrown off balance, and the impact as he hit the ground knocked the breath from his chest.  

Pain lanced through him again, this time cutting completely through his other senses. His eyes were wide, but he saw nothing, nor could he hear the movements of the MPs. The pain shot through him like a lightning strike—he could feel the blood pumping through his head, the flesh swelling where his skull had knocked against stone. His lungs struggled for breath as he lay on the ground, only feeling pain, losing all sense of what was up or down. 

They got him, of course. There was no way he could run when he zoned on the pain like that, his sensed jumbled and useless. He felt weight on his wrists and some kind of movement before the pain became too much.

Minutes, or maybe hours, later, his senses began to clear. It was the jostling and familiar sound of hooves and wheels that told him he was in a carriage. Cold, heavy iron clamped around his wrists, and he heard the steady breath of another person in the carriage with him.

Before they could notice he was awake, he lunged. The other person yelled in shock as Levi slammed into them, driving a knee into their unprotected gut. As he looped the chains linking his wrists around their throat, he felt the carriage jerk to a stop. Voices yelled and hands grabbed at him. He kicked backwards, his foot connecting with flesh. A grunt of pain came from behind him, followed by more yelling.  

He fought viciously, punching and kicking as best he could while still restrained by the shackles. There were too many of them, though, and he was dragged from the carriage and slammed onto the ground. Dirt pricked at his cheek and weight pressed down on his back, pinning him to the stone. He growled, struggling, but it was no use. 

“Get his legs!” one of them shouted. 

Rope wrapped around his ankles, pulled tight to bind them. He tried to kick, but too much weight pushed down on him for him to move. The weight let up slightly when the ropes had been tied, and he managed to flip himself onto his back, getting in one more good kick before they were able to restrain him again. 

“Shit, I’m not putting up with this all the way to Sina,” one of them muttered. “Just find the closest holding cell and let them deal with him.”

They threw him back into the carriage, this time blindfolding him, as if that would somehow impede his ability to know his surroundings. The carriage jolted forward, now with Levi flanked by MPs holding him down with punishing grips. 

He lashed out again when they stopped, but they somehow managed to drag him outside while he struggled to break free. They went into some kind of building, various sounds and smells filling his senses. The air become cooler as they pulled him down rough steps, and the stench of mold invaded his nostrils. 

They dropped him onto the icy stone floor, and then the sound of metal clanging echoed in the space as the cell door was slammed shut. Silence after that. Levi reached up with his still-shackled hands and tore off his blindfold. 

He was in a dark cell, clearly beneath the ground. Two MPs flanked the cell, standing guard. Levi twisted into a sitting position, his nimble fingers making quick work of the carelessly tied rope that bound his ankles. 

As his breath calmed, he began to take in his surroundings. The cold prickled at his skin, and he could feel the dampness in the air. He tasted the mold and filth that hung around him. Water steadily dripped nearby, the sound echoing in his ears. 

He let his eyes wander around the dimly lit space, trying hard not to let one sense overpower him. He couldn’t afford to zone—he needed to be fully aware of his surrounding so he could find a way to escape this wretchedly cold and dirty cell. 

The dripping was insistent, though. It penetrated his thoughts, and though Levi covered his ears, it persisted. He groaned, digging his nails into his palms, hard enough to draw blood. Anything to distract him from the steady plinking of water on stone. But it was no use—the sound pulled him down, echoing, rushing in his ears. He was gone. 

* 

Erwin Smith strolled through the busy training yard, gear clinking at his thighs, as he watched the new Survey cadets go through their exercises. 

There was a mixture of emotions wavering in the air—apprehension, excitement, fear...nothing out of the ordinary for the Survey Corps. New recruits usually projected their feelings louder than the veterans, and this was no exception. 

One recruit in particular seemed to be having an especially bad time. He radiated fear, and Erwin focused on him as he swung for the practice titan set up in the middle of the yard. He fired his gear too soon, and instead of coming upon the titan right at the nape, he swung too low, smacking directly into its side and dropping to the ground.

“Are you all right, Cadet?” Erwin called, making his way over to the base of the mock titan. He felt the boy’s discouragement as he approached, and he tried radiating serenity back at him as he picked himself up off the ground. 

“I’m—I’m sorry, Sir,” the cadet stammered, brushing the sand from his uniform.

“There’s no need for that,” Erwin replied gently. “Nobody expects you to be perfect.”

His words seemed to bounce off the boy, who looked down at his feet.

“That was such a basic maneuver, though,” he muttered, the embarrassment rolling off him. “I’ve practiced it a hundred times.” 

The boy must have been scared out of his mind—apprehensive about joining the Scouts, and afraid now that he had to live with his decision. Fear made even the best soldiers slip up.

“You’re experiencing many changes right now,” Erwin consoled, clapping a hand on the cadet’s shoulder. To an observer, it would probably look like a friendly gesture, but Erwin was able torest his thumb against the boy’s neck this way, the skin-to-skin contact a much more direct path to his emotions.  

“We all start this way,” Erwin continued, subtly channeling encouragement through the direct contact. “I haven’t seen a single cadet come into the Survey Corps who didn’t have something they still needed to improve on. With practice, you’ll become just as skilled as any veteran in the Scouts.”

His influence started to work—the boy nodded, his apprehension slowly being replace with hope and determination. 

“Try going for the titan again,” Erwin encouraged. “If you fail, just keep trying. I’m confident you’ll get it.” He squeezed the cadet’s shoulder before letting go. 

“Thank you, Sir,” the boy replied, saluting briefly, his mood tangibly improved. He ran toward the starting point, deploying his gear to pull himself up to the platform. 

Erwin watched him run through the course again, this time with more confidence. He timed the jump to the titan better, coming down on its nape. Smiling, Erwin turned his attention back to the other cadets, monitoring their progress as he meandered around the soft, sandy ground below the course. 

Erwin’s status as a guide wasn’t exactly a dark secret, but he was sure to never blatantly advertise his empathetic talents. Most of the Survey Corps had some idea of his abilities to sense and influence others’ feelings, but since he never used it against anyone, they were perfectly willing to accept it as a mere quirk of one of their squad leaders. 

Guides weren’t criminals or outcasts by any means, but in the society Erwin lived in, being different was never something that should be shared without discretion. People were often leery of the powers that sentinels and guides possessed, particularly the powers that guides had. 

Certainly, sentinels had abilities that made people uncomfortable—their superior hearing could catch even the most quietly whispered conversations. Guides, however, had much more invasive abilities. A guide could sense another person’s feelings—get a vague idea of their thoughts. If that wasn’t bad enough, guides could also influence others’ emotions, for good or bad. If they so wished, they could subtly manipulate a person to agree with them, or they could easily make a person feel fear, insecurity, doubt...it was an intimidating gift.

Of course, most guides wouldn’t dream of inflicting anguish on another person unless in danger. Part of being highly empathetic was having a strong aversion to constantly feeling others’ emotional pain, so most guides, like Erwin, tried to keep the people around them content. Sensing others’ emotions was already a heavy burden, and guides generally shied away from the additional burden of feeling others’ suffering. 

Which was probably why there were so few guides in the Scouting Legion. All of humanity felt deep fear because of the threat the titans posed, but none more than those who actually faced them and were killed by them. It had been a sacrifice—an enormous sacrifice—for Erwin to enter the Scouting Legion. He had done it in hopes that he could help defeat the titans and end the terror that gripped humanity. 

Being a Scout was also an excellent distraction. As an unbonded guide, Erwin faced many challenges in dealing with his gift. It was deeply rooted in a guide’s nature to reach out to others in emotional need. Bonded guides, of course, were kept plenty busy with the needs of their sentinel companions, and their bonds also fulfilled the need for deep emotional connections that guides possessed.

At the very least, being in the Scouts gave Erwin ample opportunity to help others with their emotional needs. He just had to cope with the fear that surrounded him and lack of deep connections—even if he did manage to connect with someone on that level, they’d likely be eaten by a titan, and that kind of loss was devastating to a guide.

Erwin continued to supervise the cadets’ drills, occasionally projecting an extra surge of confidence onto those feeling apprehensive, when a strong signal of distress jerked his attention toward its source. 

Nanaba—the only other guide he knew of in the Scouts—was walking quickly toward him, radiating pain. Mike matched her stride perfectly, as always, an arm coiled protectively around her. As her bonded sentinel, he could likely feel her distress more acutely than Erwin did.

“What happened?” Erwin demanded, tentatively reaching out to counter Nanaba’s emotions with steady calm. 

As the pair approached his eyes slid to meet Mike’s, asking silent permission. Mike deeply trusted Erwin, so he nodded, and Erwin reached for Nanaba’s hand, the connection allowing him to better help her. He winced—her mental shields were weak, and the connection made him feel her anguish more acutely. Still, he focused on leeching some of the distress from her while enveloping her in his own shield, only pulling away once she was calm and her shields were somewhat back to normal. She sagged against Mike as she gathered her words. 

“The goddamn MPs have a prisoner at the courthouse, and they’re too incompetent to control him,” she growled, allowing Mike to bend and press a cheek to her hair, rubbing his scent on her affectionately to ground them both. “They asked me to take a look at him to see if I could calm him down, but nobody realized...” she shuddered, looking up at Erwin. “The caught a damn unbonded sentinel.”

“Oh.” Erwin’s eyes widened. Unbonded sentinels were at best unstable, and at worst incredibly and unpredictably dangerous. 

“What did he do?” he asked, concern clouding around him. Nanaba sighed.  

“Well, he apparently beat the shit out of some MPs before they could throw him in a cell,” she began, her grim satisfaction flickering over Erwin for a moment. “But he must have zoned like hell after that and broken out of it feral, because he lashed out _hard_ when he felt me trying to get a read on him.” 

She pressed her face into Mike’s chest. “It was awful,” she continued, her voice muffled by Mike’s uniform shirt. “He threw pure chaos at me. I still have a headache.”

Mike snarled softly, cradling the back of her head. He was understandably upset—sentinels were often extremely territorial with their guides, especially around other sentinels, and _especially_ if those sentinels were unbonded. The fact that another sentinel had hurt his guide would be enough to start a fight over, which he probably would have done if he didn’t possess as much control as he did. 

“So he’s still there?” Erwin asked. 

Nanaba shrugged. “Presumably. They’d be idiots if they tried to move him now, especially since he’s feral. He might actually kill someone instead of just beating them up,” she said. 

Erwin shook his head. Trust the Military Police to not realize they were dealing with a dangerous sentinel before trying to detain him.

“What did they get him for, anyway?” he asked.

“Serial robbery,” Mike replied, smoothing a hand down Nanaba’s spine as she began to loosen in his hold. “I overheard them talking about it. They’ve apparently been trying to catch him for a while.”

Erwin narrowed his eyes, wondering how suspicious it would be if he just happened to wander down to the courthouse holding cells where this prisoner was. Maybe he could try to get a reading and help calm the sentinel down...

“Erwin, no,” Nanaba cut in before he could speak. “I can feel what you’re thinking—it could seriously hurt you.”

Erwin shrugged. “I have to at least try, don’t I?” he asked. “Maybe he’s calmed down by now.”

“You know I mean no offense, but you’re unbonded and not as stable of a guide as I am, Erwin,” Nanaba argued, pushing her influence on him. “You have no business trying to stabilize a feral sentinel. I know you feel compelled to help, but it’s dangerous.”

He could feel her influence brushing subtly over his skin, and he tightened his shields.  

“I don’t doubt it,” Erwin replied. “But at the very least, I’d know what I was up against. I can’t just let a sentinel suffer,” he added, glancing at Mike and letting a small tendril of sympathy reach him. He’d been an unbonded sentinel before he met Nanaba, after all—he knew how painful a feral episode could get. Mike frowned, considering.  

“We could go with him,” he said to Nanaba. “Together, you two can make a powerful shield. You’d be more prepared...as long as you don’t get close to the sentinel again.”

Nanaba pursed her lips. She was wavering, considering the sympathy that was growing in her sentinel, and all Erwin had to do was push just a little...

“Fine,” she decided, mentally waving away the influence Erwin was pressing on her. “But give us some time first, would you?” she asked, glancing at Erwin. “I need to ground myself.” 

“Of course,” Erwin said, inclining his head. He turned back to continue watching the cadets practice their drills, thinking about what he could do to help an out-of-control sentinel.  

*

“We don’t have to go back today,” Mike murmured, carefully undoing the buckles of Nanaba’s harness. Nanaba sighed, leaning slightly into his warm hands. 

“I know Erwin,” she said, brushing a hand over his as he worked. “If he thinks he can help someone, he helps them. He won’t wait until tomorrow, and I don’t want him to go without us.” 

Mike hummed as her palm rubbed over his knuckles. They’d both had a difficult morning, and it was time to unwind, if only for a little while. 

“I wanted to hurt that kid,” Mike admitted as he finished undoing her harness, sliding it off. “I don’t think I’ve seen you that bad since our first expedition together.”

Nanaba laughed darkly. “Well, at least you handled yourself better than you did back then,” she said, reaching up to cradle his rough face in her slender hands. “You know it wasn’t his fault. It was a sensory nightmare down there. Surely you remember what that’s like,” she whispered, gently stroking his cheek. 

“Yeah,” Mike sighed, looping his arms around her to pull her close. “I suppose I do. I just wasn’t expecting him to lash out like that. He looked a bit too scrawny to be such a powerful sentinel.”

“And Erwin looks a bit too burly to be such a powerful guide,” Nanaba countered, shrugging out of her shirt and tossing it on their bed. “The bottom line is we weren’t prepared, and we paid for it. It certainly wasn’t that sentinel’s fault, the poor little lamb,” she murmured, her empathy practically shimmering between them. “Maybe together, Erwin and I can calm him down. He looked exhausted.”

 “Maybe,” Mike echoed, unbuttoning his shirt. “We can talk about it more later, though.” 

“Of course, my heart.”

She stepped forward, their bare chests sliding together. Mike bent down, and she tilted her head back so he could nuzzle her neck, taking in her scent to calm himself. 

They had to do this often, especially after expeditions. Being a bonded pair in the Survey Corps was incredibly stressful to both of them, so constantly reconnecting and grounding was very necessary. They mostly saved their need for close contact for when they were alone—even if the entire Scouting Legion already knew about their relationship, it was better for them to remain inconspicuous. 

Nanaba arched up as Mike licked along the underside of her jaw to taste the scent coming off her. She channeled her contentment through their bond to put her sentinel more at ease. Mike kissed her neck, his hands rubbing along her biceps. He’d been upset earlier, Nanaba’s distress driving him into a fiercely protective state, but her touch and her scent calmed him. 

They would be fine.

*

An hour later, Erwin felt Nanaba project to him that they were preparing to leave, so he met them in the stables, smiling when his horse nipped at his jacket, searching for treats. 

The two guides’ empathetic ability to communicate across long distances had proven to be extremely useful over the years, particularly for expeditions. Between Erwin and Nanaba, they could sense almost everyone in the formation and communicate vague thoughts with one another, which was an invaluable gift. On an everyday level, though, it was simply convenient, and often comforting, to feel one another’s presence if they desired to. 

They set out after saddling their horses, Erwin’s mare eager to stretch her legs. Though his empathy mostly just extended to other humans, Erwin was keenly aware of the horses’ moods, and he registered the faint excitement she felt when he saddled her. 

They headed down the main road at a gentle pace. As they passed through the town square, Mike stiffened, Erwin and Nanaba quickly following suit when they saw a group of Wallists shouting propaganda. Erwin and Nanaba both began to radiate a feeling that could only be described as _ordinary_. They often did this when they didn’t want to draw attention to themselves—a person might glance at them, find nothing remarkable about them, and move on, immediately forgetting they were even there. They did this now because the Wallists were not particularly friendly toward sentinels and guides. 

The Wall cult, of course, worshipped the walls that protected humanity. To want to leave the walls was heretical, and those who yearned to be outside the walls for the sake of freedom were viewed as heretics. Of course, that included almost every sentinel and guide who lived within the walls. 

 Being confined did not suit sentinels and guides. They tended to avoid large cities and districts, preferring the open farm spaces that were isolated from the rest of humanity. Sentinels’ senses were bombarded with harsh scents and loud sounds in the city, and guides were simply bombarded by the number of minds around them. 

Part of the reason Mike and Nanaba were in the Survey Corps was that they could endure the horrors that the Scouts faced in hopes that people, sentinels and guides included, would one day expand outside the walls and live free from the terror that gripped humanity. 

That kind of thinking, of course, was exactly what the Wallists were preaching against. The sentinel and two guides passed through the square unnoticed while the cult members continued to shout about heretics and their dangerous abilities. With the guides’ empathetic abilities in full force, they were no more than three people moving quietly through the background of other peoples’ day. 

They relaxed as they put distance between them and the town square. As they drew closer to their destination, Erwin tentatively reached out, feeling for the distressed sentinel. He picked up the signal immediately, the pain and chaos projecting loudly, drawing Erwin forward, making him desperately want to soothe and comfort—to send calming serenity back. It was an incredibly strong call. He held back, though, and strengthened his shields, wary of the destructive power behind the source of the signal. 

Soon enough, they reached the local courthouse that contained the holding cell where the rogue sentinel was being kept. Two MPs were exiting as they approached, nodding to Nanaba as they crossed paths. 

“Any changes?” Nanaba asked as she dismounted. 

One of them shook their head. “No improvements. I think he’s gotten worse, honestly.”

“Oh great,” Nanaba muttered. “Well, we’ve come to try again. Will there be any objection?” 

“None at all. For God’s sake, if you think you can help, please do.”

They made their way into the courthouse, heading to the side where the stone steps led to the old basement. Nanaba grabbed both Erwin’s and Mike’s hands before they descended the dark stairs. Her shield strengthened, and Erwin felt it wrap around him to the point where he could barely sense the other minds in the building. He bolstered it with his own shield, not wanting to take any chances that would get Nanaba hurt again.

As they approached the cells, though, Erwin could still feel the call of distress, and it grew exponentially louder as they drew closer. He leaned forward as they reached the bottom of the stairs, his empathy calling back without meaning to, trying to get a look at the prisoner...and then he stopped dead. 

“Oh, shit,” Nanaba muttered. She let go of Erwin’s hand, her shield immediately dropping from him. 

It hit Erwin like a bolt of lightning. 

The sentinel— _his_ sentinel—stared back at him, frozen. A few seconds before, the sentinel’s thoughts had been horrifyingly chaotic, confused, and pulling in every direction. The moment their eyes met, those thoughts suddenly vanished, replaced with an almost terrifying focus on Erwin that he was afraid might burn a hole straight through him. 

He forced himself forward, dazed, as his sentinel sat up, their eyes never breaking contact. The boy was small and filthy, his haunted eyes the most beautiful stone gray Erwin had ever seen. The eyes were wide with shock, bloodshot, pupils large. 

Behind him, Nanaba calmly ordered the two guards to open the cell door. The guards hesitated too long, and Erwin felt a strong wave of influence wash over them—Nanaba wasn’t messing around today. They scrambled to comply with her repeated order, and then there was nothing between Erwin and the sentinel. 

He stepped into the cell, rushing toward his sentinel, who was kneeling and straining against the chain that tethered his wrists to the stone wall, still single-minded in his focus on Erwin. Without hesitation, Erwin dropped to his knees and reached out, pulling the sentinel flush against him. The boy groaned at the contact, pushing his face into Erwin’s neck and inhaling his smell. 

The feeling was not something Erwin could have prepared for. A sudden sense of rightness washed over him, as if a part of him had been out of alignment his whole life without him noticing, and it suddenly clicked into its proper place. He hummed as he pressed his face into messy hair, hand coming up to rest at the boy’s nape. He felt a warm tongue under his jaw—the sentinel tasting his scent. 

It hadn’t even occurred to Erwin that they might be compatible, let alone _this_ compatible. He’d long ago given up on the notion that he might find a sentinel one day and bond. As Mike and Nanaba had demonstrated day in and day out, being a bonded pair in the Survey Corps was a heavy burden to bear on both the people involved.   

Now, as his sentinel weakly gripped at his jacket, trying desperately to spread his scent over Erwin, he understood why they had done it. Erwin held on to the boy firmly, turning to sit against the cold stone wall and settling the sentinel into his lap, stroking and gentling him. 

“It’s all right,” he murmured as the boy huddled against him, shivering. He leaned forward slightly to pull his uniform jacket off, tucking it around narrow, trembling shoulders. 

“Get out,” he distantly heard Nanaba order the guards. 

“But...” 

“Go. We’ll handle this.” 

There was no room for argument in her tone, and her influence prodded them to hastily retreat, their footsteps echoing along the stairs. Now it was just the four of them. Mike and Nanaba stayed, but they moved to sit on the stairs, just barely out of sight, to give some semblance of privacy to the moment. Erwin could still feel them both there, quietly standing guard, but he let himself forget about their presence.

He took a moment to examine his sentinel. The boy was small and thin to the point of starvation, and he looked to be only a few years younger than Erwin. Deep circles under his eyes betrayed his exhaustion, though Erwin could feel the engulfing tiredness in the tenor of his thoughts—he desperately needed rest. Erwin cupped the small face with one hand, thumb soothing over one of the dark circles. The eyes moved tiredly, staring up at him, and Erwin smiled back gently.  

“Sleep now. You’re safe,” he whispered, wrapping his mental shield snugly around the sentinel to dull his senses and give him some peace. 

The boy didn’t need encouragement. Either from his own complete exhaustion or the small nudge of sleepiness Erwin gave him, he closed his eyes and allowed his overexerted mind to rest.  

Erwin was content to hold him while he slept. He listened to the shallow breaths slowly even out, and as he continued to cup the side of his sentinel’s face, he felt the weak pulse at his neck begin to steady.  

_What horrors have you felt that led you to this state_ , Erwin thought. The sentinel’s weakness was not simply an effect of his imprisonment—this was an accumulation of months, if not years, of his uncontrolled powers bearing down upon him. 

Erwin carefully shifted his sleeping burden as he got comfortable, making sure his sentinel’s face stayed cradled between his hand and collarbone, the scent at his neck keeping the boy calm as he slept. 

There was no question that they would become a bonded pair. The sentinel’s calling was too great for Erwin to ignore, and it would hurt them both severely if they were to not bond. Erwin had a deeply rooted responsibility to help any sentinel in need, and it seemed that he was the only one capable, or more accurately, the one _meant_ to help this boy.  

So they would bond. Perhaps not today, and definitely not in the miserably cold and damp cell, but once Erwin could get them back to Survey headquarters, it would happen. His sentinel would be able to establish his territory there, much like Mike had established his territory in the room he and Nanaba shared. He would eat well—Erwin could ensure that—and grow strong. They would figure out how to proceed afterward. If his bondmate didn’t want to be a soldier, that would complicate things. But that discussion could wait. 

Erwin continued to hold his sentinel, carefully focusing on the mental burdens he could reach. It was harder to do this when a person was sleeping, but there were still ugly thoughts shimmering on the surface of the boy’s mind, likely coloring his dreams. Erwin delicately reached into the sleeping mind, pulling out the malevolent wisps of thought one by one. He would turn them over carefully in his own mind to examine them before willing them to dissipate into nothingness. As he worked, he could feel the sentinel’s mental presence becoming lighter, slipping into a more peaceful sleep.  

Satisfied with his work, Erwin let his focus drift, quietly listening to the soft sounds of dreaming that meandered in the air around him. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow...I've received so much positive feedback on this story already! Thank you! It seems like a lot of people haven't read this trope before but are interested in it. Good. I will single-handedly drag this entire fandom into the sentinel/guide trope if it's the last thing I do.

For the first time since Levi had developed sentinel abilities, his mind was quiet. 

He could still sense his surroundings—the damp cold, the smell of filth, and the little sounds water dripping, but instead of drowning him, they flowed around him. Inviting, not intruding. What dominated his senses was the warm presence he was currently resting on. 

The delicious scent was strong and alluring—it lingered on his tongue from when he had tasted it earlier. As his body slowly woke itself from its deep sleep, he became aware of the strong, steady heartbeat, accompanied by the sound of soft breathing. Levi vowed to commit the heartbeat to his memory. It was the most precious sound he could imagine—the reassuring sound that his guide was alive, and that all was well.

He shifted, stretching stiffly and groaning. A deep heaviness had settled in his limbs, no doubt a combination of his rest and the leftover fatigue his sleep had not reached. Though he’d slept well, he couldn’t shake off the aches—the sore muscles, hunger, and thirst that dragged at him. Then cool metal touched his lips. 

“Drink,” a low voice murmured. 

Levi opened his mouth, trusting, feeling a warm hand cradle the back of his skull and tilt his head back so he could swallow the water that flowed into his mouth. He grasped at the canteen with his bound hands, gulping, more dehydrated than he’d realized. The water was pulled away from him after a moment, and he made a small noise of protest at the loss. 

“Not too fast,” the voice said softly. Fingers brushed tenderly over Levi’s mouth, wiping away the water that had dribbled toward his chin. He opened his eyes slowly, blinking in the dim light. 

The guide met his eyes, smiling gently at him. Levi returned the smile sleepily before stretching again, this time stiffly repositioning himself on the warm lap to ward off the soreness in his limbs. His guide quietly aided his movements with strong, sure hands, likely sensing his intent. Fingers carded gently through his hair once he settled. 

“What’s your name?” the guide asked, his curiosity easily felt through their proximity. 

“Levi.” He felt the soft pleasure that the guide projected at hearing him speak. 

“Erwin Smith. A pleasure to meet you.”

Levi hummed, pushing his face back into the guide’s—Erwin’s—neck, inhaling. The scent cleared his mind him like nothing he’d ever encountered before. He began to carefully rub himself on Erwin, spreading his own scent to mark his guide. Erwin was content to allow it, fumbling to undo the harness strap that ran across his chest before unbuttoning the top part of his shirt. Levi gratefully touched the newly bared skin, the smell of their distinct scents mingling together and calming him. He continued to slowly scent his guide, feeling warm hands stroke soothingly down his sides before slipping under his shirt to rest on his lower back. 

Their peace, unfortunately, was short-lived. Levi had vaguely sensed the presence of a sentinel-guide pair nearby when he had awoken, the same ones who had been there earlier when the chaos had nearly clawed him apart. They appeared around the corner now, looking troubled. Levi stiffened, instinct telling him to protect his guide, despite them not appearing to be a threat. 

“Erwin,” the other guide said, her alarm apparent. Before she could continue, though, Levi sensed more interlopers approaching, these ones less harmless. He growled, springing to his feet to stand protectively in front of Erwin, though he was useless with his wrists still bound. He sensed his guide getting to his feet behind him, and he yearned to be bigger—able to hide his soon-to-be mate with his bulk, safe from those who would hurt him. 

“You—Scouts. Get away from the prisoner now. All of you,” one of the officers ordered angrily. 

“Hold on a moment,” the female guide reasoned, and Levi felt the unnatural calm she radiated wash over him. His shoulders dropped involuntarily. 

“Your tricks won’t fool me, girl. Move aside,” the MP snapped.

The other sentinel snarled, whisking his guide behind him protectively. She placed a hand on his back, but it had little effect—he was tensed and ready to defend his guide. 

“As I said,” the man continued, his hand drifting toward the blade at his side. “Away from the prisoner.”

Levi stiffened. He could break the iron shackles if he needed to—if his guide was in danger. Shatter them at the joints and lunge out of the cell before the officer could draw his weapon, slamming him against the wall, knocking him unconscious, and taking out the others neatly. They wouldn’t stand a chance. His guide sensed his bloodlust, though, and placed his hands on Levi’s shoulders. 

“It’s all right,” he whispered, channelling reassurance. Levi’s body loosened. His guide’s hands disappeared, and he had to stop himself from leaping forward when Erwin stepped around him, calmly exiting the cell so one of the MPs could slam the door shut, the bars rattling. Normally, the sound would have been enough to echo dangerously in Levi’s mind, but his guide was still influencing him from outside the cell, his shield wrapped protectively around Levi.

The MP narrowed his eyes at Erwin, who was calmly re-buttoning his shirt and securing his harness.

“Now if you would all be on your way, we have police matters to attend to.”

“With all due respect, Sir,” the female guide cut in, stepping out from behind her tense sentinel. “This prisoner is in need of special care that we are capable of providing. Perhaps we could take him off your hands—our headquarters have adequate facilities for containing him.”

Levi could tell she was subtly trying to work her influence, his own guide appearing to be working along with her in tandem to sway the man. 

“No, no. That will not do,” the MP shot back angrily. “This boy is a menace to society and we’ve worked hard to finally capture him; I will not simply allow him to wander off with some goddamn Scouts and slip away.”

Levi rolled his eyes. Of course the dogs would want to hold on to their prize.

“I can assure you we would be able to contain him,” the other sentinel said in a low voice, his posture straightening to emphasize the strength behind his bulk. It had little effect, though.

“Absolutely not. Leave us now, or we will remove you by force.”

Levi stiffened. The two guides looked at one another, appearing to have a silent conversation, before they turned back to the MPs. 

“If that is what you wish, then we will go,” the woman said curtly. As she spoke, Levi’s heart dropped. Were they really giving up that easily? Erwin shot a glance at Levi.

“ _It’s all right,_ ” he breathed, just loud enough that Levi’s hearing could pick it up. A warm feeling washed over him, and then they were turning to leave. Not able to stop himself, Levi growled, straining uselessly against his chains as he heard them ascending the stairs. The comforting feeling stayed with him, though—he could feel his guide still directing strong reassurance to him, his influence diminishing slightly as the distance between them grew, but still there even when the sound of his horse’s hooves began to fade as the distance became too much for Levi to hear. 

Levi sank shakily to the ground, concentrating on their faint connection and inhaling the scent of the jacket his guide had left around his shoulders, wrapping it tightly around himself.

*

“You’re doing well, Erwin,” Nanaba murmured as they rode slowly back to headquarters. 

Erwin was concentrating hard, determined to keep the connection between himself and Levi strong. Leaving his sentinel had felt wrong—terribly wrong—as if he were leaving half of himself behind. Levi’s distress had nearly made him stay, consequences be damned, but he could still feel Levi’s mind there. Mike and Nanaba were able to feel one another even when they were miles apart, so Erwin stayed focused, hoping he and Levi would be able to do the same, even without being bonded.

They mostly rode in silence, Mike listening hard to pick up any conversation going on at the courthouse that might be of use.

“It’ll be difficult to get him out of there,” Mike muttered, his head tilted slightly as he listened, eyes closed. 

“What do you hear?” Nanaba asked. Her hand reached toward him in the space between their horses, and he took it without opening his eyes. Erwin could feel her guiding him, toning down his other senses so he could concentrate.

“They’re going to try to keep them from bonding,” Mike began, frowning. “No surprise there. They know it would complicate things to prosecute a bonded sentinel...they’re not even _trying_ to be quiet—do they realize every sentinel in the district can hear them?” he commented, annoyed.   

“That would require them to be intelligent, dear,” Nanaba replied. “I felt much fear in them as well. Are they afraid of the sentinel?”

“Yes. Or at least what he’ll be capable of if he bonds,” Mike said. He opened his eyes, casting a glance and Erwin and Nanaba. “We have some work ahead of us.”

“That we do,” Nanaba muttered, squeezing Mike’s hand before letting it go. “Don’t worry, Erwin,” she continued, projecting her confidence toward him. “Mike and I have been down this path before. There’s little they can do once you’re bonded; we just have to find a way to make that happen. Preferably without breaking the law.”

“Thank you, Nanaba,” Erwin said, allowing her to feel his gratitude. “Where should we begin?”

“The public archives, probably,” she replied. “There’s much information—old, forgotten laws and rulings about sentinel-guide pairs that the general public isn’t aware of.”

“We’ve looked into it before,” Mike added as they steered their horses through the streets, turning onto a different path to make their way to the library where the archives were housed. “There was definitely something off about the records we could find. We might have to dig a bit deeper this time.” 

Erwin wasn’t surprised at this. With the Wallists gaining influence in the government and a general crackdown on heretics, anti-sentinel-guide sentiment was higher than it had ever been. Who knew what was being hidden from the people. 

* 

“This is useless,” Nanaba muttered, shoving away another stack of documents and raking a hand through her hair, frustrated. Mike stroked her back in reassurance.

They’d been searching for hours with no luck, and they would have to get back to headquarters soon before their absence was noticed. Erwin thought they might have found something—anything—related to their cause, but it was almost as if any record that sentinels and guides even existed was missing. 

He sighed. “Maybe we should return to headquarters before someone comes looking for us,” he suggested, rubbing his tired eyes. They’d been gone most of the afternoon, and they couldn’t just neglect their responsibilities. However important this was to Erwin, he had pledged his life to humanity, and that would always have priority over his own affairs. 

Nanaba touched his hand briefly. “We’ll find what we’re looking for eventually,” she said, the contact bringing comfort. “Will you be all right?” 

“Yes, I think so,” Erwin replied. The distance from his sentinel was unpleasant, but as he reached out, he could still feel Levi’s mind—unhappy, perhaps, but calm. Safe. He concentrated, sending a gentle wave of reassurance through the connection. It would have to tide them over until Erwin found some way to free his sentinel. 

They cleaned up the stacks of documents they’d been looking through before heading back to headquarters, making plans to continue their searches. 

The next morning, they found themselves at the courthouse archives. The library archives hadn’t produced many legal documents, so they decided to see what sorts of court cases and rulings they could dig up. The MPs guarding Levi were still around, so they donned civilian clothes and snuck in through the back to avoid being spotted. 

Erwin acutely felt the presence of his sentinel below them as they sorted through old legal records, and judging from the alert attentiveness coming back through the connection, Levi could feel him there as well. He yearned to see Levi again and hold him to make sure he was all right, but it was far too risky to venture down the stairs that led to the underground cells. Instead, he satisfied himself with carefully lingering on their connection, weaving threads to strengthen it while murmuring their plans to Levi, who he knew would hear him. 

The courthouse archives were enormous, and the record keepers who maintained them were stubbornly unhelpful when asked about laws regarding sentinels and guides. In the few hours they were there, they only got through a small portion of the documents that might contain something relevant to their search. It was clear they weren’t going to find what they were looking for quickly.

Unfortunately, being part of the Survey Corps did not afford them much leisure time. An expedition was approaching, forcing Erwin to devote all his time to preparing his squad and reviewing strategies. Still, he found the time to meditate on the connection between himself and Levi when he had a spare moment here and there. Levi was still in the courthouse cell, and at the very least, he didn’t seem to be suffering. Erwin couldn’t always feel him clearly, far away as he was, but that only meant Levi wasn’t distressed enough to call out loudly to him, so Erwin was satisfied. 

Despite the inherent fear that always accompanied ventures outside the walls, Erwin was excited for the expedition. Within the walls, there were so many people—so many minds speaking at once, and so many minds to block out. Even bonded, experienced guides like Nanaba sometimes had trouble dealing with the thousands of minds and all the emotions that never ended, always threatening to overwhelm if left unchecked. 

As they rode through the gates, Erwin could already feel the distance growing between himself and all the civilian minds. The emotions of his fellow Scouts were loud, but they were fewer and familiar. He could manage those emotions—compartmentalize them and stow them safely away. He felt Nanaba nearby, and by extension, Mike, who was also eager to leave the walls. Though Mike managed his senses well with his guide’s help, the accumulation of sounds and smells within the walls could become unbearable at times. 

The formation spread out as they cleared the gates. Erwin’s squad was on the left side, close to the edge. They rode for a while in silence, Erwin basking in the peace that lay outside the walls. He also kept tabs on his squad’s minds, making sure to soothe their anxiety and sharpen their alertness. 

As they continued forward through a sparsely wooded area, Erwin could feel his already-faint connection with Levi beginning to fade. He focused on it, trying to strengthen it as much as he could, but as they rode deeper into titan territory, he had to let it diminish. They were bound to run into trouble soon, and he and his squad needed his full attention to stay alive. 

Erwin concentrated. He felt the minds of most of the Scouts on their end of the formation. They were his first warning if something was amiss—if titans broke through.

“Stay alert!” he ordered his squad, allowing his own focus to drift so he could pick up on the tenor of others’ thoughts. The soldiers on the outermost parts of the formation were always the most scared, and today was no exception. He sensed their fear and their anxiety as they waited for titans to appear. 

“Sir! Titan approaching!” one of his soldiers, Harper, alerted him. 

Erwin shifted his focus to where she was looking. A titan—maybe seven meters—had burst from a small group of trees to their right and was ambling toward them, a terrifying blank grin stretched grotesquely across its face. 

“Into the trees!” Erwin shouted, deploying his gear and shooting himself onto a high, sturdy branch. 

He looked down—his squad had obeyed, though Harper and Welsch, the newest additions to his squad, were still within reach of the titan. Great. 

“Go higher!” he ordered, firing his gear again while the titan was distracted by the scrambling soldiers. He went straight for the titan, blades drawn, managing to cleanly slice through the nape as he passed. The titan stumbled as he landed on another branch, and he turned in time to watch it crash to the ground. Erwin quickly looked around, accounting for everyone in his squad, who were all high up in the trees now.  

“Well done,” he said. “Just remember to keep moving until the titan can’t reach you. Everyone get back on your horse—it’s not safe to stay in one place.”

Erwin stayed on his branch, alert, until everyone had found their spooked horses. Once they had mounted, he flew down to his own mare, urging her forward, and his squad followed. 

They quickly cleared the trees and were now riding through grassland. It was more dangerous out in the open, so Erwin stayed on high alert, leading his squad on the most direct path to the next wooded area. They rode in silence for a few minutes. 

A spike of fear hit Erwin hard, nearly jolting him. Something was going on at the edge of the formation. He concentrated, picking up panic. Suddenly, one of minds he felt disappeared, which was immediately followed by a debilitating surge of grief and shock. Erwin doubled over, clutching at his heart. Someone had been killed. 

“Veer right!” Erwin ordered, strengthening his shields. He couldn’t allow himself to bear the burden of that much grief. Not right now.

His squad obeyed, not questioning their leader’s sudden decision. They knew he felt things they could not. Erwin reached out tentatively with his mind, searching for the distressed group, but he felt nothing. Confused, he broadened his search. Still nothing. The other groups were there, just where he expected them to be. 

With a sickening twist in his gut, Erwin realized an entire squad had been taken out. Whatever had killed them, however many titans it had been, they were still out there. 

“Speed up!” he ordered, urging his horse forward. “There’s titan activity nearby—potentially a group that’s broken through the edge of the formation. We need to get to the trees as quickly as possible!”

The soldiers obeyed, picking up speed. The trees were approaching, and Erwin prayed they would reach them before they encountered any more titans. He scanned the horizon, looking for threats. Suddenly, something appeared, far away, at their left. Erwin squinted, blocking the sun shining in his eyes with one arm. 

Titans. Several of them. They were still a long way away, but were gaining quickly.  

“TITANS SPOTTED. GET TO THE TREES, COME ON!” Erwin bellowed, spurring his horse to go even faster. He felt his squad’s panic as they spotted the titans, and he didn’t even try to quell their fear. They had a better chance of outrunning the titans if they were afraid. 

The titans were running fast. There were three of them—one at least fifteen meters, the other two likely around ten meters. As they gained, Erwin led his squad further right, still headed to the trees but now running away from the group of titans. They might just barely make it to the trees at this rate, and as Erwin turned, he saw the titans’ vacant smiles, their arms outstretched. 

*

Levi paced in his small cell, frustrated. 

The connection he had with his guide had been steadily fading over the morning. Judging by the cacophony of hooves and cart wheels, it was an expedition, and Erwin was likely going with them.  

Levi never payed much attention to Survey expeditions, but he did know how few soldiers returned every time they ventured beyond the walls. So he worried. He worried something would happen to Erwin—that his guide would get hurt, or worse. The worry increased as the distance between them grew greater, and Erwin’s influence over him diminished. 

Their continued connection had done wonders for Levi’s control. He could focus on one sense without zoning, and he’d been able to eat and sleep more than he normally did. But with Erwin’s signal fading to nothingness, the grasp he had on his sentinel abilities was slipping. Sounds became too loud again, and the feel of dirt on his skin intensified. He curled up on the ground and buried his face in the jacket Erwin had left him, focusing on the smell, breathing deeply, and trying to keep himself under control. 

Time passed. Minutes, hours...Levi couldn’t tell. He was jerked from the chaos of his senses by the sound of boots on stone. 

An officer was standing in front of his cell, watching him. It was the same one who had made Erwin leave a few days earlier, and Levi snarled softly when he recognized the man. The MP tilted his head, looking at Levi the same way one might look at a caged animal. Which is what Levi was, really. 

“Dunno if you care, but that Scout who was here earlier—the one you were awful cozy with. He got himself killed out on that expedition.”

The man may have continued talking, but Levi didn’t hear him.

His mind couldn’t process anything. Not his thoughts, not his senses. His eyes were open, but he couldn’t see—couldn’t feel his own body. 

It couldn’t be true. Surely Erwin was too clever, too fast, to simply be killed. Their connection had faded, though. Levi felt nothing. Had he missed the sound of Scouts returning through the gates? It was hard to tell without the control Erwin gave him. 

His guide had been stolen away from him.  

As his rage bubbled, his mind came back into his body. He clawed at his own skin, paying no attention to the blood he drew. The world was loud and cruel, and Levi wanted no part of it anymore. He let out a feral scream. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything is okay, I promise.


	3. Chapter 3

The Scouts were charging back to the walls as fast as their horses could carry them. They had gotten as far as they could with the expedition, but they were racking up casualties far too fast to continue. Instead of going forward, Commander Shadis decided to cut their losses and turn back. 

The titans had come close to killing Erwin’s entire squad, but his soldiers had just barely been able to launch themselves into the trees before the titans descended upon them, trying to grab them up. After that, it had been a simple matter of separating them and destroying them one at a time. 

Two of Erwin’s squad had been killed in their attempts—his soldier Lorenz was grabbed and devoured by a titan when he tried to reach its nape, and the new cadet Harper was crushed against a tree as she swung around the stumbling 15 meter titan, her body falling limply to the ground below.  

The loss hung heavy over his squad as they made their way back to Wall Maria. Erwin had been injured himself—thrown against a tree with great force when a titan knocked into his wires—but he had managed to escape with only a few scrapes and bruises, and possibly a cracked rib. He tried not to focus on the pain as his horse jostled him, instead concentrating on calming his grieving squad and keeping himself under control. 

As they neared the wall, though, Erwin began to feel a faint tug of distress. It was hard to pinpoint with all of the Scouts projecting their grief and fear around him, but as they moved forward, he recognized the tenor of thoughts—it was Levi, and something was wrong. Terribly wrong. The call only grew louder as they continued on, and Erwin urged his horse forward as they passed through the gates. 

“Thomson, Welsch—follow the company back to headquarters,” he called behind him to the two remaining soldiers in his squad. He loathed the idea of abandoning them, but they were inside the walls now, and they were safe. 

The townspeople probably thought he was possessed as he raced through the streets once through the gates. Erwin could tell his horse was exhausted, but he didn’t let up, allowing his urgency to flow over her. He could feel Levi’s mind, and it was in an uproar. He tried to reach out to him, to communicate in some way, but it proved to be useless. Levi was too far gone to notice it. Erwin would just have to see for himself what the problem was. 

He nearly flew off his horse when he reached the courthouse. Levi’s call was overwhelming, and all he could do was stumble up the front steps, paying no heed to the people around him as he made a beeline for the stairs that led to the cells below. 

The sight that met him was chaotic. Soldiers were crowded in Levi’s cell, attempting to pin him down. Erwin could barely see Levi underneath them, but he heard the inhuman growls coming from Levi’s mouth as he struggled violently.

“Levi!” Erwin shouted, his voice echoing impressively in the small, stone space. 

The commotion stopped for a moment as the soldiers looked up at Erwin, gaping. Then they went flying as Levi somehow managed to flip them off of him, staring at Erwin, who didn’t need his empathy to see the confusion and chaos and grief that was bombarding him.

“Erwin?” he asked, his voice small and uncertain. He was grasping something with white knuckles, and Erwin realized it was the uniform jacket he’d left around Levi’s shoulders. He rushed forward, but nearly drew his blades when he was blocked by one of the MPs—the same officer from before. 

“You don’t have permission to be here, son, don’t you dare enter that cell,” he growled. 

Not in the mood to squabble with the self-important prick, Erwin simply stepped up next to the door, holding a hand out through a space between the heavy bars. Levi launched himself forward, and Erwin caught him, belatedly realizing that Levi had somehow shattered the iron shackles that had tethered him to the wall.  

Levi was shaking, mind plagued with distress, so Erwin wrapped his shields around him, radiating calm as he folded his arms around his sentinel. It affected the others as well, and they quietly picked themselves up and filed out of the cell, the door clanging shut behind them, rattling the metal bars pressed between Erwin and Levi. 

“What happened?” Erwin murmured, cupping the back of his sentinel’s neck to rub the skin there. Levi pressed his face against Erwin’s chest through the bars. 

“You were dead...they said you were dead,” he whispered shakily. “I couldn’t feel you.” 

Erwin turned his head, leveling a glare at the soldiers who were watching them warily.

“Who said I was dead?”

The officer who was apparently in charge shrugged. “We needed to know how dangerous he could be if something set him off.”

Erwin narrowed his eyes. “And you decided the best way to do that was to cause him intense emotional stress? I’m quite sure there are decades-old laws against intentionally aggravating sentinels.” Their search for laws regarding sentinel-guide pairs hadn’t been completely fruitless. 

“Well I don’t know about that...” the man grumbled noncommittally, turning to mumble orders to his soldiers. Erwin growled lowly, turning back to Levi, who was awkwardly grasping at him through the bars. 

“It’s all right. You’re all right,” Erwin breathed, not wanting anyone else to eavesdrop. He clutched Levi tightly, stooping so the sentinel could push his face into his neck to smell him.

“You were so far away. I lost the connection,” Levi mumbled as his desperate breaths began to slow.

“I know. I’m sorry.” Erwin replied, smoothing a hand over his hair. “We’ll be able to feel each other better once we’ve bonded.”

He could feel Levi’s bleak uncertainty—the metal bars between them a reminder of their separation. 

“It’ll happen,” he continued, reassuring. “There are a lot of old laws and court cases meant to protect sentinels and guides—we’ve found a few of them already. They can’t keep you here forever while they sort out all their charges; we’ll find something before that.”

“Just break me out of here, goddamn,” Levi grumbled under his breath. “I don’t care.”

“Well I do,” Erwin murmured, squeezing Levi tighter. “Legal things like this are tricky. If we don’t do this right, it’ll come back to bite us. Please trust me.”

Levi nodded. “I do. Completely.” 

They kicked Erwin out soon after that, once it was clear Levi wasn’t going to either kill himself or break out and bathe in their blood. It was just as well—he had many responsibilities that he’d conveniently abandoned when he rushed to Levi’s aid. 

Erwin was exhausted by nightfall. The expedition had lasted most of the day, and it had taken the rest of the evening to take care of the horses and supplies and finish all the paperwork required of him. To add insult to injury, Erwin was required to write detailed reports about the two soldiers in his squad who had lost their lives. He was already sensitive to the grief and dejection that hung over Survey headquarters, and by the time he was done, he wanted to crawl into a hole far away from the rest of humanity. The only thing keeping him sane was the connection he’d reestablished with Levi, ever-present in the back of his mind. 

Nanaba must have felt him—she found him almost asleep at his desk, too exhausted to make himself move.

“Come on,” she murmured, pushing at him until he reluctantly stood, groaning at the soreness that had settled into his bones. She guided him to his room, and he collapsed in his bed finally, feeling Nanaba strengthen his shields so he could get some rest.

*

It took them two more days to find what they were looking for—two days of interrogating evasive record keepers and sorting through envelopes stuffed with old court rulings, misplaced trade agreements, and long-forgotten laws. But they found something, finally.

“What is it?” Erwin pressed as he and Nanaba peered over Mike’s shoulder at the worn documents one late afternoon. 

“Court records,” Mike explained. “From almost fifty years ago, too. A high judge ruled that it was unlawful to interfere with a sentinel-guide bonding by separating them.” 

Erwin scanned the neat writing, for once allowing a sliver of hope to root itself in him. 

* 

Levi was awoken by a sudden surge of happiness. He sat up quickly, adjusting the Survey jacket still wrapped around his shoulders, before he realized the flare of emotion was coming from his guide, whom he could sense nearby. Three pairs of boots sounded on the stairs, then Erwin and his companions were standing before him. The tension he’d been unconsciously holding in his body rapidly dissipated when his guide came into view. 

“Gentlemen,” Erwin addressed the guards smoothly, radiating an odd, overpowering sort of calm. “We’ve come to relieve you of your burden.”

It was like nothing he had ever seen. With his guide abilities out in full force, Erwin was dangerously charismatic and convincing. The other guide stood at his side, her influence also spreading through the small space as Erwin explained the law that they had dug up, informing them that that they would be taking Levi under their custody.  

The guards seemed positively dazed by the guides’ influence, and they scrambled to unlock the cell. Levi shot through the doorway, attaching himself to Erwin, who wrapped an arm around his shoulders. The contact soothed him, and he felt the hope and confidence coming off of Erwin through the connection. They might actually be able to bond after all. 

They made a quick exit, probably to get away from the guards before the empathetic influence wore off and they began questioning if they should have just let their prisoner go. Though the evening was quickly approaching, Levi still squinted in the sunlight as they exited the courthouse, his eyes not accustomed to the aboveground brightness. They hurried toward the horses—Levi picked up Erwin’s scent on the large cream-colored mare, and he hopped up before Erwin could give him a boost. Erwin chuckled, pulling himself onto the saddle behind him. 

The other guide had taken off ahead of them already, muttering about baths and clothing. Her sentinel seemed content to let her pull ahead, calmly waiting for them to settle before nudging his horse forward. Erwin wrapped an arm around Levi to steady him and followed suit. 

“I don’t believe you two were properly introduced. Levi, this is Mike,” Erwin said. “The one who rode ahead is his guide, Nanaba.”

The two sentinels glanced to the side, silently sizing one another up. 

“No fighting, now,” Erwin said, amused, probably sensing the slight flare of territoriality the sentinels were giving off. Levi shrugged, settling himself more comfortably in the saddle. Mike was clearly loyal to Erwin and no threat to him. 

They rode in silence after that, Levi twisting slightly so he could nose at Erwin’s neck, smelling him—Erwin smelled better out in the open, fresh air passing over him instead of the stale mold of the underground cells. Erwin hummed in response, his affection silently growing. 

They quickly reached Survey headquarters. Levi had never been inside the gates, so he abandoned his guide’s neck in favor of looking around, picking up all sorts of sounds and smells—stew cooking somewhere nearby, probably in the kitchens, gear being deployed, orders being shouted, horses stamping in their stables, dice rolling on a wooden table... 

Erwin dismounted smoothly, holding a hand out to steady Levi as he hopped to the ground.  

“Go on, I’ll take care of her,” Mike said quietly, taking the reins of Erwin’s mare. Erwin nodded.  

“Thank you.”

A few people stared as Erwin led Levi past the barracks, and Levi stared back, eyes narrowing. Realistically, none of them posed a threat, but the longer he was in contact with his guide, the more it triggered his protective instincts, which were aggressive and mostly foreign to him. 

Levi hadn’t encountered that many sentinels or guides in his lifetime, so he only had a vague idea of what to expect as a bonded pair. He knew that they would bond—their mental attraction was too great to deny it, and he knew that the bonding would bring them closer. Beyond that was a mystery. 

“In here,” Erwin murmured, leading him through a door. They went up a flight of stairs, down a hall, and then they stopped in front of a plain door. Erwin fished a key out of his pocket and opened the door, letting Levi through first. 

It was a modest living space—a bed tucked into one corner, a wardrobe and desk next to it, and a small nook for washing. A metal bathtub sat in the nook, filled with steaming water. 

“Nanaba,” Erwin muttered, shaking his head as he closed the door behind him. Next to the tub lay a small pile of neatly folded clothes, clearly meant for Levi. 

Levi was eager to rid himself of the layer of filth covering his skin, so he promptly stripped and sank into the tub without a hint of embarrassment, groaning as the warm water engulfed him. He glanced at Erwin, who was smiling gently down at him. 

“Would you like me to join you?” Erwin asked. Levi briefly considered the size of the tub.

“Yes,” he finally said, drawing his knees to his chest to make room. Erwin carefully removed his boots and his gear straps. He folded his clothes and lay them on the bed, then he was sinking into the tub as well, the water raising to a perilously high level as the space in the tub suddenly became very cramped. They both sat there for a moment, soaking in the warmth and watching one another, before Erwin reached over the side of the tub to grab a bottle of subtly scented soap.

“Let me wash your hair,” he murmured, unscrewing the cap. The scent wafted toward Levi—it smelled faintly of herbs and wood. Levi turned in the limited space so his back was to Erwin, sliding backward until he’d settled between Erwin’s bent legs and dunking his head under the water to wet his hair. 

Erwin poured a bit of soap into his hands before he spread it over Levi’s dirty hair, gently lathering. Levi hummed as Erwin worked the soap into his hair, the pads of his fingers rubbing over his scalp, careful not to scratch him. Erwin grabbed the glass he kept next to the tub and scooped up some water, tilting Levi’s head back so he could rinse some of the soap and dirt from his hair.  

Levi leaned into the touch, his eyes closing, when Erwin slid his hands back into his hair. He felt the dirt being lifted from his scalp, then washed away when Erwin rinsed his hair again.  

Once Levi’s hair was clean, Erwin moved to his back, hands carefully rubbing soap over his skin. Levi was grateful that he’d forgone an abrasive washcloth—his skin was becoming more sensitive as the minutes passed, and Erwin’s hands felt right against his back. 

The dirt was slowly washed away, bit by bit. Levi’s mind cleared as Erwin’s hands worked over him. He became aware of a faint sensation in his gut—a tug that pulled him closer to his guide. Erwin washed his arms, carefully stroking the bruises around Levi’s wrists leftover from the heavy shackles he’d broken. Once Erwin had cleaned his hands, meticulously washing the dirt from under his fingernails, Levi twisted in the water so his chest came to rest against Erwin’s, his cheek pressed to Erwin’s collarbone. 

They lay like that for a while, Erwin’s arms wrapped securely around Levi’s middle while Levi rubbed his face against Erwin’s neck. The heat of the water seemed to bring out Erwin’s smell, or maybe their continued proximity made him produce more scent. Erwin groaned when Levi lightly skimmed his teeth over the skin under his jaw, tilting his head back in an almost submissive display. Levi felt a surge of possessiveness—a deeply rooted need to claim his guide so no one would dare touch him again. 

“Perhaps we should get out of the bath,” Erwin suggested, no doubt feeling Levi’s urges through their contact. Levi growled softly, but pulled away from Erwin to quickly wash the rest of himself in the cooling water while Erwin worked some soap into his own hair. 

Erwin got out first, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around himself, before taking another towel and holding it up—Levi rose from the water, shivering, and Erwin wrapped the towel around his shoulders. They dried off quickly, Erwin going to his wardrobe, leaving Levi to paw through the pile of clean clothes left out for him. He found a soft pair of pants, probably meant for sleep, and tugged them on. They fit surprisingly well, though they were loose around the hips, and Levi suspected they were meant to be worn by a woman. 

Having also donned sleeping pants, Erwin was busying himself with combing out his damp hair. Levi tilted his head slightly, watching with a small amount of fascination as the muscles of his back moved when he lifted his arms. Erwin sensed the eyes on him and glanced over his shoulder, smiling. Levi padded over to him, running a hand over the contours of his back. Erwin turned, bringing one hand up to card his fingers through Levi’s wet hair, loosening it, before cradling his face and gently running the comb through his dark locks. 

Erwin’s skin smelled so good when it was clean—free of accumulated dust and dirt, he smelled purely like himself, with only a slight hint of soap. Levi pushed the comb away after a moment so he could step forward and rub himself against Erwin’s torso. The way their scents mingled delighted him, made him feel alive. Levi could feel his blood pumping faster through his veins, and he felt Erwin’s heart rate increase as well.  

Something was definitely happening to them—something he hadn’t experienced before. A foreign, all encompassing desire to consume and protect his guide filled Levi. Again, he wished he were larger than Erwin so he could properly shield him. Hide him. But Levi was quick and strong, and he knew he was capable of defending his guide to the death if he needed to, so he satisfied himself with practically climbing up Erwin’s torso, gripping his shoulders. Erwin’s hands came up to support Levi’s weight instinctively, and Levi buried his face in Erwin’s hair, mussing it. 

“We should move to the bed,” Erwin murmured, rubbing his face against Levi’s neck. Levi nodded, holding on tightly as Erwin steadied his grip, walking them to his bed. 

*

Levi twisted when Erwin set him down on the mattress, burying his nose in the sheets and humming. He no doubt smelled Erwin’s scent on them. Erwin chuckled softly, pulling the blankets back so Levi could scramble under them, promptly rubbing himself on Erwin’s sheets. 

Erwin recognized his behavior—he was spreading his scent, mixing it with Erwin’s, to better establish his territory. Nanaba had quietly described the process to him earlier, which he was grateful for, since he hadn’t been educated about bonding since he first started exhibiting empathetic powers as an adolescent. Even then, the descriptions he’d been given had been incredibly vague, probably to protect his sensibilities. 

He laid down next to Levi, reaching a hand out to gently stroke over his back. Levi looked up—Erwin could feel that he’d broken through his sentinel’s thoughts with the touch, but Levi didn’t seem to care; his mind was relaxed and receptive.  

“Come here,” Erwin murmured. Levi didn’t need encouragement—he pushed at Erwin until he was on his back before climbing on top of him, settling comfortably so their chests were pressed together. He met Erwin’s eyes, uncertainty flickering in his thoughts.

“I’m not sure what to do,” Levi whispered, searching Erwin’s face. Erwin smiled softly, reaching up to run his hands through Levi’s quickly drying hair. 

“What do your instincts tell you to do?” he asked. Levi closed his eyes, searching. 

“I want to rub myself on you until our scents are so intertwined I can’t tell the difference between them,” Levi finally said, opening his eyes. “And I want to bite you,” he added, skimming his fingers just under Erwin’s jaw. Erwin laughed. 

“Let’s hold off on the biting until a bit later,” he replied, allowing reassurance to flow through their connection. “But otherwise, follow your instincts.”

Levi nodded, smiling slightly before dropping his head to nose along Erwin’s collarbone. Instinct told Erwin to tilt his head back, so he did, exposing his throat submissively. Levi growled lowly, and Erwin felt a surge of possession jolting through his sentinel as he nuzzled at Erwin’s neck. 

Their scent mingled, though Erwin could hardly tell that with his less-than-superior sense of smell. It still calmed him, though, and judging by the slowing of Levi’s mind, it affected him as well. Levi’s movements became less frantic, and they slowly moved together, skin seeking skin. 

Erwin felt an odd desire within him. It wasn’t completely foreign—he’d felt it before when other sentinels had called to him. Not compatible sentinels, but sentinels who needed the brief touch of a guide to right their senses. In those instances, his body had readily called back to the distressed sentinels. What he felt now, though, was infinitely more powerful. It was not just a desire to guide, but a desire to connect. To be consumed. He projected the feeling without hesitation, and Levi immediately responded with his own call—one filled with the desire to protect and possess. 

Their movements became more deliberate, and Erwin reached up to cup Levi’s face. Their eyes met, and Erwin carefully read the desire Levi was giving off. He leaned forward, waiting, then Levi closed the distance to hesitantly touch his mouth to Erwin’s. 

Levi’s lips were soft and unsure, as if he’d never done this before. And maybe he hadn’t. Admittedly, Erwin had not seen much action himself—it was never a good idea for a guide to get involved with someone if it would just end up causing heartbreak if a compatible sentinel came along and tore them apart, and Erwin had given up on the notion of strong attachments when he joined the Survey Corps. That had changed, though, and now he had someone he knew he would spend the rest of his life with, however short that life may be. 

Erwin moved his lips gently, washing Levi with reassurance and affection, until his sentinel carefully began to mimic the movement, a hand coming up to stroke Erwin’s cheek. Levi hummed, swiping his tongue gently over Erwin’s lips to taste the sensitive skin. 

Erwin arched, his call becoming louder. Levi broke away and nipped at his jaw in response, and Erwin knew it was time—he wanted Levi to bite him, to send them both over the edge. He tilted his head back farther, writhing and gripping Levi tightly. A clear sign.  

Levi licked the skin at his neck, searching for the source of Erwin’s scent. He nosed over the spot just under Erwin’s jaw that felt swollen, smelling, before he sucked the skin into his mouth and sank his teeth, hard, into the flesh. 

They both groaned at the abrupt intensity that followed. Erwin suddenly _needed_ to touch Levi more. Their quick breaths mingled as they rubbed against one another. Amid the tangle of limbs, Levi’s mind became clearer. More defined. More tangible. Erwin felt as if he could almost touch it, and his instinct told him he should try to. 

Erwin reached out with his mind, feeling around the edges of Levi’s consciousness, which welcomed him easily. He pressed deeper, his shields completely lowered, until both their minds seemed to hover in the indefinable space between them, naked, thoughts brushing gently over one another. Erwin felt Levi give a final push, and then the two minds clicked into place like two parts of a machine meant to fit together. 

_Oh._

Erwin thought he’d been able to feel Levi’s mind before, but that had been nothing. Levi’s thoughts weren’t separate from his own now—their minds had become two parts of one consciousness. He saw Levi clearly now, and Levi could see him. 

Levi clutched at him, nails nearly digging into skin, and Erwin grasped him back tightly. The sensations were overwhelming, and all they could do was hold one another and feel. 

*

It took Mike most of the evening to finish up all his duties. Or more accurately, his and Erwin’s. Erwin had enough to do without worrying about paperwork or herding around the new cadets, so after he’d finished brushing down their horses, he’d quietly picked up some of Erwin’s responsibilities while he took care of his own duties. 

For his own sanity, and for the sake of the soon-to-be bonded pair’s privacy, he’d concentrated on diminishing his senses to those of a normal person’s while he went about his tasks. He really didn’t need to hear or smell what they were doing in Erwin’s room. When he was close to being done, though, he felt a distinct tug from Nanaba, calling to him. It spurred him to quickly finish his work and follow her signal, leading him back to their room. 

Nanaba was curled on their bed, her face buried in a pillow that smelled of their mingled scents. Mike growled in concern, quickly crossing the room to kneel next to the bed, brushing a hand over his guide’s hair. She relaxed at the contact, raising her head to peek up at Mike. 

“What is it?” Mike whispered, allowing his senses to surge, checking for nearby threats. Nanaba shook her head, reaching up to squeeze his fingers. 

“They’re bonding,” she murmured. “It’s hard to block out.” 

Mike nodded in understanding. Although Nanaba was an incredibly experienced guide, it was still difficult to ignore such a strong signal from another guide, especially someone like Erwin, whom she was already familiar with. 

“Do you need to get away?” Mike asked, stroking her palm.

“No, no...it’s not a bad feeling. Just intense. It made me want you,” she said, smiling up at him. She let her desire radiate out, washing over her sentinel. Mike hummed, pupils dilating as he registered her intent. He pulled his boots off so he could climb into the bed, sliding his arms around Nanaba and nuzzling into her neck. She stroked his hair, running her nails lightly over his scalp. Mike growled in response, skimming his teeth under her jaw. 

“Nana,” he murmured lowly, feeling her shiver. “When was the last time I told you how perfect you smell?”

“This morning, I think,” she breathed, tilting her head back to expose her throat.

“Too long ago,” he replied, carefully licking at her neck. They clutched at one another until their clothing became a hindrance. Mike swiftly began to unbuckle Nanaba’s harness, long practice making the process blessedly quick. As he undid his own harness, Nanaba shed her clothing, shivering as the cold air hit her skin. 

Mike stopped what he was doing to touch her. She leaned into his warm hands as they slid over her skin. 

“Why are your clothes still on,” she murmured, sinking back onto the bed. Mike grinned, quickly shedding his own clothing and joining her.  

There were marks on Nanaba’s skin. Old cuts, scrapes, burns, perpetual bruises from years of wearing the harness...Mike saw everything, his sight and touch able to catch every detail her skin revealed.His lips touched the marks—a silent apology for not being able to protect her from each little hurt mapped on her body. Nanaba’s hand carded through his hair in gentle forgiveness. 

For a long time, when their bond was still young, Nanaba would try to persuade him to not feel guilt for the injuries he couldn’t prevent. Eventually, though, she had to accept he would always berate himself when she got hurt, even if he knew in his mind that he couldn’t have done anything to prevent it. It was something they had learned to live with—injuries and the threat of death simply couldn’t be avoided in the Survey Corps. So now, when Mike expressed his remorse over her accumulated injuries, she didn’t deny—she forgave. 

It quickly became too cold to continue the exploration in the open air of their room, so they burrowed under the soft sheets Nanaba had procured for Mike’s hypersensitive skin. Nanaba shivered, scooting forward until their chests were pressed against one another. They had been together long enough that it wasn’t necessary to rush, so they lay together peacefully, simply basking in the closeness. 

“I’m glad Erwin found his mate,” Nanaba finally said, her hand skimming along Mike’s back. “He’s been alone too long.” 

Mike hummed in agreement, kissing her forehead. “Do you think the MPs will come after them?” he asked.

“Oh, I don’t doubt it,” Nanaba muttered, dislike coloring her aura. “You remember all the shit that happened when we bonded. It’ll be worse for them, though.” She sighed. “There’s something happening in our government...something that’s run deep. It should never have taken us that long to find those court records. Someone is trying to hide the fact that sentinels and guides have rights, and whoever that is won’t be happy when they find out we practically stole a rogue sentinel.” 

Mike hugged her closer, his hands rubbing over her bare skin. “At least they’re bonding,” he pointed out. “Even the MPs know you can’t separate a bonded pair.”

“Yes, that’s true,” Nanaba mused. “I’m sure they’ll try something, regardless. We’ll just have to wait and see.” Her hand moved down Mike’s back, squeezing lightly. Mike growled, rolling them until he was propped on his elbows above her. 

“Can we talk about this later?” he asked, bending to kiss her neck and making his desire known. 

Nanaba laughed, sliding one leg up around his hip. “Of course.”

Mike scraped his teeth along her skin, causing her to moan softly at the sensation. Her hips tilted up, seeking contact, and his hips met hers, grinding hard and causing her to arch. There was no need to hurry, so they simply stayed close, their bodies slowly moving and rubbing together. They could feel each other through both touch and bond, and the sensations gently mingled as their need built.

Mike kissed Nanaba softly before he shifted, dragging himself down her body, mouth exploring as he went. He mouthed along her jaw, her throat, her collarbone, her breasts, stomach, hips...down, until he settled himself between her legs, licking and nuzzling at the insides of her thighs, inhaling her scent. Nanaba propped herself up on her elbows for a few moments to watch him, but she quickly gave up and let her head drop back to the mattress when his tongue found more sensitive skin. She jerked, moaning, when he pressed harder, her thighs clamping around his head. 

Words were unnecessary—they felt everything through their bond. Mike could feel Nanaba’s pleasure, and he sensed the desire she projected. It spurred his own pleasure, and he gently untangled himself from her thighs, crawling back up her body, his nose dragging along her skin before he found her neck again, her perfect scent even stronger now. They kissed slowly, savoring every place their skin touched.

Their lives were fraught with hardship and terror, but this—this time spent together, caught up in their own little world that held nothing but their minds and their bodies, free from the rest of the humanity...this made everything they had ever endured—everything they had yet to endure—worth every moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~And then Nanaba projected her emotions so hard that the entire Scouting Legion became inexplicably horny.~~


	4. Chapter 4

Erwin awoke to the feel of Levi’s warm breath on his collarbone. He slowly opened his eyes, glancing down at his sleeping sentinel. Levi was on his side still tucked against his chest, his head half-resting on Erwin’s pillow, his forehead pressed against Erwin’s neck. His breaths were strong and steady. 

Erwin recalled the only other time Levi had slept in his arms—their first meeting. So much had changed in only a few days. The air of utter exhaustion had left his sentinel, and as Erwin moved a hand to Levi’s neck, careful not to wake him, he could feel his pulse had strengthened. He was still worn and thin, but that was nothing a little pampering, courtesy of his guide, couldn’t fix. 

Levi was still deeply asleep, likely exhausted from everything that had happened to him, so Erwin contented himself with simply holding him, softly feeling around the edges of his dreams and guarding his mind from intrusive nightmares. They stayed like that until the sky began to lighten, then Erwin felt his sentinel’s consciousness stir. He double checked his shields to ensure Levi wouldn’t wake to a jarring sensory overload, then gently stroked Levi’s cheek with the pad of his thumb to quietly draw him from his sleep. 

Levi’s eyes opened slowly. With the rest of his face still relaxed from sleep, he looked incredibly young as he blinked up at Erwin. Erwin smiled down at him, bending to softly kiss the corner of his mouth. Levi’s lips twitched at the contact, forming a sleepy smile. 

“Good morning,” Erwin murmured, allowing himself to stretch now that Levi was awake. Levi made a pleased noise, bunting his head against Erwin’s bare chest and hooking a leg around Erwin’s thigh to keep his close. Erwin slid his hand around the back of Levi’s head, fingers rubbing gently over his scalp. He felt Levi’s contentment through their bond as clearly as if it were his own. 

They could have stayed like that for an eternity if Levi’s stomach hadn’t chosen that moment to growl loudly, breaking the peaceful silence. Erwin laughed, hiding his face in Levi’s hair.

“Hungry?” he asked. Levi nodded, tilting his head up to sniff the air carefully. 

“There’s food outside the door,” he finally said. Erwin disentangled himself from Levi so he could slide out of the bed, shivering as the cool morning air hit his skin. Levi looked as if he wanted to follow, but he shied away from the cold, tugging the blankets around him and watching as Erwin opened the door. Sure enough, a large basket of food had been placed in front of the doorway. It was full of bread and fruits and other things wrapped tightly in cloth or sealed in metal canisters. 

“Nanaba,” Erwin muttered, shaking his head. He would have to thank her properly once everything had settled. He carried the heavy basket to the bed and set it down. A piece of paper was tucked in with the food, which Erwin curiously unfolded.

“What is it?” Levi asked, tilting his head as he felt Erwin’s surprise.  

“It’s from Commander Shadis,” Erwin said, placing the note on the small table that sat next to the bed. “He’s given me permission to take time off until our bond has settled.” Erwin registered Levi’s faint surprise and gratitude. “I’m sure Nanaba had something to do with that.” 

Levi nodded. “I feel like we owe her,” he murmured, his slender hand plucking a small loaf of bread from the basket and tearing off an enormous bite. Erwin chucked.

“You have no idea,” he replied, poking through one of the warm wrapped bundles to find a couple of baked potatoes, still steaming. “I’ll have to think of something really nice to do for her after all this. She’s saved me more than once, but she’s outdone herself this time.”

Levi looked down, fiddling with his bread, and Erwin felt a tug of regret from him, instinctively placing a hand on his shoulder for comfort.

“I hurt her,” Levi said quietly. “Before you came. She tried to help me.”

Erwin sensed his remorse acutely, and tightened his grip on Levi’s shoulder, concentrating on soothing and reassuring him. Levi relaxed at the touch, and his shoulders dropping. 

“That wasn’t you fault,” Erwin said, gently stroking over his skin. “You were feral and in need of guidance, and I know she doesn’t blame you. We’re guides—we understand you weren’t in control.” 

Levi shivered. “I don’t ever want to feel like that again.”

Erwin sat on the bed next to him, wrapping an arm around him to pull him close. 

“That part of your life is in the past now,” he soothed, kissing Levi’s temple. “I’m here now. I won’t let you suffer like that again.” 

Levi tucked himself against Erwin’s side, nibbling at his bread. With so much skin-to-skin contact, it was easy to ground themselves, allowing thoughts and feelings to flow freely between them as they ate.  

*

The next few days were some of the laziest Erwin had ever experienced. The biggest part of settling in a bond was being together and establishing territory, and that required staying in said territory. In Erwin and Levi’s case, that was just Erwin’s modest living quarters. They had to leave, of course, just to use the bathroom and get more food and water, but they only left at night when no one was around, and they were always together. 

As a freshly bonded sentinel, Levi was incredibly possessive and territorial, so it was in their best interest to minimize the contact they had with other people. The first time they left Erwin’s room, he’d growled and thrown himself in front of Erwin protectively when he heard someone on the stairs, and when they got back, he climbed on top of Erwin, frantically rubbing all over to scent him. Erwin had to carefully calm him down with soft words and powerful empathy, and after that, they made sure to check that no one was around when they left Erwin’s room. 

For the most part, though, they lay together in the bed, either talking about their pasts, meditating on their bond to strengthen it, eating, or sleeping. Levi desperately needed to gain weight—his ribs were still clearly visible, and it felt as if he barely weighed anything when he settled himself on top of Erwin to scent him. So Erwin was content to feed him as much as possible and let him sleep away much of the day, tucked against his guide. 

The clothes Levi had been given turned out to all fit him fairly well, though he preferred stealing Erwin’s shirts. They drowned his torso, but they were soft and well-worn, and they smelled like his guide. Erwin made a mental note to start sleeping with Levi’s shirts so he might actually wear them once they had to start being around others again.  

Out of habit, Erwin would periodically get up to go through his normal stretching and strengthening exercises, using the empty space in the middle of the room. He couldn’t afford to get out of practice or out of shape, even with permission from the Commander to take time off, so he dutifully went through his routine, stretching, doing pushups, and practicing his balance. Levi watched him curiously a few times before deciding to join him. As it turned out, he was quite flexible and very good at mimicking Erwin’s movements. They quickly became adept at moving in synch, able to sense how the other moved, even with their eyes closed.  

*

No perfect peace lasted forever, though, and a few days into their bonding, Erwin began to notice something that he wasn’t sure how to bring up with Levi. 

Levi was absolutely devoted to Erwin, like any bonded sentinel would be to their guide. He was loving, affectionate, and very territorial, and he clearly displayed those traits for Erwin to feel firsthand. He did everything a sentinel was supposed to do—marking, scenting, touching...but there was one thing he hadn’t so much as acknowledged, and Erwin began to wonder if his sentinel thought at all about sex. 

Bonded pairs were almost always in sexual relationships, except in the rare cases of platonic bonds between siblings. From what Erwin had heard, the initial bonding itself often culminated in lovemaking, which obviously hadn’t been the case for them. Though Erwin was perfectly happy with their physical and emotional intimacy, he wondered what Levi’s feelings were. 

Erwin had experienced sexual attraction, and as a guide, he was good at sensing it in others, especially if that attraction was directed at him. He’d never felt it in Levi, though, and he couldn’t help but wonder if Levi found him an unacceptable bed partner, or if it was something else. They often bathed together, Levi preferring to sprawl over Erwin’s chest in the warm water, and he had never expressed an aversion to Erwin’s body. The curiosity finally became too much for Erwin to bear as they were laying together one morning, Levi’s leg casually hitched around Erwin’s hip. He broached the subject. 

“Have you given any though to...sex?” he asked quietly, his hand skimming over Levi’s pajama clad leg. Judging by the blank look Levi game him, and his equally blank thoughts, he definitely had not. 

“I...no. I haven’t,” Levi replied after a moment, looking down. His emotions were heading toward something resembling self-consciousness, and his cheeks were becoming tinged with pink, which Erwin had never witnessed before. Erwin folded his arms around Levi and reached out to him mentally, wrapping him in warm reassurance.

“It’s okay,” Erwin soothed, stroking down his back to calm his anxiety. “I was only curious, since I’ve never felt attraction from you. At least, not the sexual kind. It made me wonder.”

Levi looked up at him. “I don’t think...I’ve ever felt that kind of attraction. I don’t know what it’s supposed to feel like,” he admitted. 

Erwin regarded him curiously. “Would you like me to show you?”

Levi blinked, considering. He bit his lip unconsciously, and Erwin swiftly skimmed a thumb over his mouth to free his lip from his teeth. 

“Show me,” he decided. 

Erwin nodded, shifting in the bed. He reached up to cup Levi’s face and draw him closer until his forehead touched Erwin’s neck. He withdrew into his own mind for a moment, carefully gathering his thoughts on what attraction and desire were composed of, sorting through past experiences and his own feelings. Finally settling on what he wanted to project, he reached out to Levi.

Levi was calm and open when Erwin touched his mind—the result of their frequent meditation on their bond. Erwin reestablished and strengthened their connection by sending his love and affection for Levi through first, giving Levi the chance to reciprocate so that their feelings freely flowed both ways. Erwin smiled when he felt Levi’s quiet love flow back to him, and he knew they were ready. 

He started slowly with wisps of attraction. It was subtly different from the mutual attraction they felt as a bonded pair—less emotional, more physical. Erwin concentrated on the stirrings of attraction he felt for Levi. The appreciation of his features. The sensation he felt when Levi spoke. The jolt when Levi pressed his lower body closer. 

Levi made a soft noise as the feelings lapped over him, and he gripped Erwin’s forearm. Erwin stroked his cheek and lay patiently, waiting for Levi to calm. When he felt Levi’s small body relax against him again, he allowed the attraction to swell, careful not to overload him. Erwin could feel Levi’s pulse quickening as his fingers lay against Levi’s smooth neck, and his breathing became more erratic. His mind was fine, though, so Erwin allowed some desire to flow through their bond as well. 

The desire was more powerful. Animal. Erwin knew Levi desired him, but not like this. This desire was more focused on pleasure, not necessity. The physical pleasure of touching and being touched. The pleasure of an intimate connection. Levi unconsciously moaned and rubbed his lower half against Erwin, still gripping his forearm as the feeling of desire washed over him. Erwin let him, suppressing a groan and carefully continuing to channel the feelings to him, until Levi hit some invisible limit.

“Stop,” he said suddenly, his voice quiet but sure. Erwin’s eyes snapped open, and he immediately pulled back, breaking the connection and sliding away from Levi.  

“Are you all right?” he whispered, gently taking one of Levi’s hands and stroking a thumb over his palm. Levi nodded, reaching out to Erwin so he could pull himself against his chest again. They lay there for a moment, Levi catching his breath and allowing Erwin to wrap his arms around him again. 

“Did I hurt you?” Erwin finally asked, faintly radiating a silent apology. 

“No, no,” Levi said, tucking himself closer to Erwin. “It was just intense. And it didn’t feel bad, just...foreign,” he decided. Erwin stroked his back gently. 

“So I take it you’ve never felt that kind of attraction before,” he murmured. 

“Definitely not. But...do you feel like that about me?” Levi asked, brow creasing and worry coloring his thoughts. Erwin kissed his brow, wrapping him in soothing calm. 

“A bit,” he admitted. “This is enough, though,” he continued, vaguely gesturing at their entwined bodies. “I won’t do something with you if it makes you uncomfortable or if it brings you no pleasure.”

Levi shook his head. “I’m not...” he began, searching for words. “I think I could do those things, even if I don’t feel them the same way you do. I’m not repulsed by the idea of sex...as long as it’s with you, at least.”

Erwin smiled, the complete trust Levi projected making his heart warm. “We don’t have to decide this now,” he said, his fingers brushing over Levi’s side. “Maybe later, when we know each other better. I don’t want to push you into doing things...though I can promise to make it enjoyable for you if we ever decide we want to try,” he murmured, kissing the corner of Levi’s mouth. Levi turned his head, catching Erwin’s lips with his own. They lay quietly, gently exploring one another’s mouths, until Levi pulled back. 

“Do we have more food?” he asked, carefully sniffing the air as his hunger made itself known. 

Erwin laughed. “I believe so. Time to get up?”

Levi nodded, stretching and pushing the blankets off of him. 

*

After a week of laziness punctuated by eating, bathing, and night wanderings, both Erwin and Levi began to grow restless. Erwin was more accustomed to running around headquarters and keeping up with training and paperwork, and Levi was more accustomed to running around the underground and stealing things. Even though many sentinel-guide pairs remained isolated for a month or more after their bonding, staying cooped up in one room most of the time suited neither of them.

Therefore, as their bond settled, they began to venture outside of their room more often. It was a difficult transition, but with Erwin’s patient help, Levi learned to better control his protective instincts so he wasn’t jumping in front of Erwin and snarling whenever he heard someone nearby. 

They also tried being apart for more than a few minutes, but that did not end particularly well. Erwin needed to get some things from his office and check up on the piles of paperwork that had no doubt accumulated, and Levi agreed to stay in their room while he was away. Erwin had only been gone five minutes, feeling the separation acutely, when he felt Levi call to him _loudly_ , and he rushed back, meeting his unsettled sentinel halfway to their room and allowing him to desperately scent and rub him until he’d calmed down. After that, they decided being apart could wait until they were better established as a pair. 

Erwin, at least, was able to start catching up with his work in the meantime. After the disastrous attempt at separation, Levi simply starting accompanying Erwin to his office. 

It quickly became apparent that Levi’s senses were particularly irritated by dust and dirt, as the first thing he did when he stepped into Erwin’s small office was demand cleaning supplies. He must have had some pent-up energy as well, since he didn’t rest until he’d cleaned the office from top to bottom. He even took the books off their shelves one by one and dusted them off, looking them over and then carefully replacing them in their designated spots. Erwin would look up at him from time to time as he moved through the small library, wondering how well his sentinel could read if he’d grown up on the streets of the underground. 

Once Levi was completely satisfied with the state of Erwin’s office, he settled himself on the small couch next to the bookshelves, resting quietly while Erwin finished what he was working on. Erwin felt him slowly calibrating his senses—performing mental checks and reaching to see how far he could throw his hearing and smell. Not wanting to disturb his sentinel, Erwin kept quiet, the muted shuffle of papers and the scratch of his pen’s nib the only indication of his work. 

After Erwin had sorted out all his paperwork, they began to slowly transition to a normal routine. Erwin was still technically off duty and relieved of his responsibilities, but that didn’t stop them from wandering around headquarters, causing gossip to spread about the young squad leader and his new mysterious companion. The whispers made Levi scoff, and he rolled his eyes when Erwin asked him what they were saying. 

“Ridiculous,” he muttered, casting a narrow glance at the soldiers gathered on the other side of the yard. “Did they think all sentinels were built like baby titans?”  

Erwin laughed, looping an arm around Levi’s shoulder. They were, admittedly, an unconventional pair. Sentinels were generally tall, bulky, and imposing, while guides tended to be smaller and non-threatening, not unlike Mike and Nanaba. Levi’s size matched his personality, though—he was quiet and unassuming, quick and deadly. A finely tuned instrument, just like a sentinel should be. 

Levi wanted to see everything, so Erwin showed him. He showed him the mess hall and the barracks, the stables, the gear storage area, the training courses...Levi watched thoughtfully as soldiers skillfully flew through the air, dodging around obstacles and coming down on the mock titans. 

“Smith!” a powerful voice called as they were watching the drills. Levi’s head snapped toward the source of the sound, on high alert, but Erwin recognized the voice and placed a calming hand on Levi’s shoulder, turning to face Commander Shadis, who was quickly approaching them. He snapped into a brief salute when the commander drew nearer and wisely stopped a few feet from the pair. Levi was bristling slightly, his protective instinct making itself known. Shadis eyed Levi warily before turning his attention to Erwin. 

“The goddamn MPs have been on my ass all week about you, Smith,” he said, folding his arms. It was well-known that the commander had little love for the Military Police, and his annoyance was clear, though fortunately, it did not seem to be directed at Erwin. 

“I’m sorry, Sir,” Erwin replied, dipping his head in apology. “The officers detaining my sentinel were acting against a long-standing court order preventing third parties from interfering with sentinel-guide bonding. I did what I thought was best to remedy the situation.”

Shadis looked at Erwin thoughtfully. “I see. Zacharias filled me in on the details of their illegal actions. You’ve certainly done your research,” he said, radiating a small amount of some emotion Erwin identified as pride. “But they’re not going to let you get away with this without a fight.”

Erwin nodded. “I understand, Sir. We’re prepared to do what we have do to settle this,” he said, squeezing Levi’s shoulder. 

“Well, I’m glad to hear that, since the MPs want you both in jail, and I’m not about to lose one of my best squad leaders to those idiots,” the commander growled darkly. “I have a plan to keep this all civil, but it’ll take a lot to convince them,” he continued, his speculative gaze cutting to Levi. 

*

The agreement Commander Shadis had proposed to the Military Police was simple: prove that the newly bonded pair was valuable enough to the Survey Corps that it justified letting Levi go without answering for his crimes, or both Erwin and Levi would be thrown in jail. The decision would hinge mostly on the next Survey expedition—if they survived, and if Levi proved to be competent, the Military Police would likely drop charges. 

Erwin at first tried to reason that Levi couldn’t be held fully accountable for his actions as an out-of-control and unbonded sentinel, but the idea was quickly squashed. The MPs were out for blood, and if they tried to use that argument, it would just be pushed to a trial with Erwin and Levi both imprisoned in the meantime. 

They had no alternative but to prove their worth, then. Erwin hadn’t spoken to Levi before about whether he wanted to become a soldier, but now the choice had been made for him. Levi wasn’t vocally opposed to joining the Scouts during the brief discussion they had with the commander about putting him through training, but Erwin still worried that this wasn’t what he wanted. As connected as they were, Levi didn’t express most of his emotions loudly, so Erwin wasn’t sure how he felt. 

“I’m sorry,” Erwin said quietly as they lay together in their bed. After the conversation with Shadis, they’d retreated back to their room to ground themselves since they still weren’t used to being around others together. 

“What for?” Levi asked, tucking himself into his usual spot against Erwin’s side, a small hand resting over his heart. Erwin smiled at the little gesture. 

“We never talked about what we would do after the bond settled—whether you wanted to become a soldier,” Erwin explained, placing a hand over Levi’s. “And now you can’t make that choice for yourself.” 

“Erwin...” Levi began, searching for words. “There are twenty-seven ways I could sneak both of us out of this place. I’ll probably have another ten once I see the rest of these headquarters. Then there are a few dozen ways to get to the underground, where we’d never be seen again because I know it so well.”

Erwin raised an eyebrow. “Were you planning to make a run for it?” he asked.

“Of course not,” Levi scoffed. “If that were the case, we would have been gone days ago.” He sighed, resting his head against Erwin’s shoulder. “The point is we _have_ choices. We always do. I’m choosing to stay here with you and become a soldier instead of whisking you off in the dead of night and going where the MPs can’t find us.”

Erwin nodded, squeezing Levi’s hand. Of course Levi had thought this through—his mind never rested, even when he was calm. 

“I suppose I’ll have to oversee you training, then,” he replied thoughtfully. “We can’t exactly send you off to a training camp by yourself.” 

Levi rolled his eyes. “As if I would need to start up with all the beginners. I can do half the shit all those soldiers are doing out there without using gear,” he said, waving vaguely toward the window. Erwin laughed, bending to kiss his temple.  

“I don’t doubt it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little explanation about Levi's sexuality because not everyone is an expert—Levi is asexual, meaning he doesn't experience sexual attraction to others. It doesn't mean he has no libido or that he can't feel sexual pleasure. He is also not aromantic in this fic, so yes, he does have romantic feelings for Erwin. He is also not sex-repulsed in this fic, meaning he can enjoy having sex if he chooses to have it. In conclusion: Levi is incapable of being sexually attracted to Erwin. He is, however, romantically attracted to him, and also physically/mentally attracted to him as his bondmate. He completely trusts Erwin, he would do anything to make Erwin happy, and because of their bond and their love, he likes being physically intimate with Erwin. 
> 
> Part of the reason I made Levi asexual (besides the fact that I firmly believe he could be asexual in canon) is because of how that can be explored in a sentinel/guide fic. Erwin was literally able to show him exactly what sexual attraction feels like, and if they eventually get around to having sex, Erwin can project his attraction and desire onto Levi so that Levi feels what he feels through their connection. That's pretty cool.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Training montage! You will have to supply your own overly-inspirational '80s music.

Levi was just as skilled as he’d predicted.  

Getting him into a properly fitted uniform was its own challenge, though. Even most of the women in the Corps were larger than Levi, but they eventually found a uniform that fit him correctly. Levi grumbled that the cloak irritated his neck, and Erwin made a mental note to find something to keep it from rubbing against his hypersensitive skin.  

Erwin carefully checked the straps of his harness before he gave Levi the gear. He adjusted and tightened the buckles as necessary, Levi standing perfectly still, waiting patiently for Erwin to finish. 

Since Levi had shown he was good at mimicking Erwin’s movements when they stretched together in their room, Erwin decided they would go through the beginning exercises side by side. He spent a long time explaining the basics of the gear to Levi as they stood in the middle of the empty training area before demonstrating by propelling himself onto a platform jutting out of a wall. Levi watched his movements with sharply observant eyes before carefully aiming and firing the wires to the same spot on the wall Erwin had used, the hooks tightly gripping the stone. He pulled himself up carefully, the hooks releasing as he swung himself onto the platform. 

“Very good balance,” Erwin said, checking to make sure Levi’s harness hadn’t shifted. “Ready to try the rest?”

Levi nodded, his expression as unreadable as it always was, but Erwin had felt the thrill that shot through him when the wires had propelled him through the air—his sentinel was excited to use the gear.

“Follow me, then,” Erwin said, grinning as he fired his gear again, shooting himself toward another platform. 

Using the gear like this was always enjoyable—the thrill of flight without the overwhelming fear of being chased by a titan. Erwin projected his exhilaration loudly as he gained speed. Levi followed close behind him, easily mimicking his path as if he’d been using the gear for years. 

A small crowd gathered to watch them, whispering. Most cadets had difficulty getting used to using the gear, but Levi was flying through the course with ease. Erwin swelled with pride when he felt their wonder. Levi merely rolled his eyes at their whispers, otherwise paying them no heed, though Erwin felt his small twinge of gratification at their admiration. 

They continued to run through the course, and Erwin could feel Levi gaining confidence. Soon, they were taking the course side-by-side, Levi’s movements perfectly mirroring Erwin’s. After that, Erwin had him run through one of the more difficult courses by himself. Unsurprisingly, he went through the course easily, and Erwin was able to watch him from the ground. From the different vantage point, Erwin could see why some of the soldiers had stopped to watch. Levi flew through the air as if he were meant to sprout wings. 

Erwin felt Levi’s discomfort from the pull of the harness before he outwardly expressed any pain. He called his sentinel down before the straps became too much, leading him away from the training course to discard the gear and examine the places on Levi’s body where the leather had cut into him, kissing the hurt away from the tender skin. 

*

As it turned out, using the gear was the only skill Levi didn’t have difficulty learning. They started training with horses next, and it was clear Levi was not at all in his element. Erwin chose a fairly even-tempered gelding for Levi to begin with—the horse nipped at Levi’s jacket, and he froze warily, unsure of what to do. Chuckling, Erwin pulled an apple out of his pocket and took Levi’s hand, smoothing it flat before placing the apple in his palm.

“Careful of his teeth,” Erwin murmured, squeezing his shoulder and channeling reassurance as Levi hesitantly offered the apple. The horse snorted, taking the fruit, and Levi immediately withdrew hand, wiping it on his pants. 

Levi had never steered a horse before, so Erwin carefully directed him, keeping the horse on a lead so it wouldn’t bolt in case something startled it. The gelding obeyed without fuss, but seemed to sense Levi’s apprehension, its ears twitching and nostrils flaring. Erwin felt its slight agitation, and he stopped the horse.

“He can tell you don’t know what you’re doing,” he explained, stroking a calming hand over the horse’s nose. Levi shifted in the saddle, uncomfortable. “Here—”

Erwin took one of Levi’s hands, showing him how to stroke down the horse’s neck.

“You have to trust one another. If he doesn’t think you can lead him, he’ll run off on you,” Erwin said. “Just pretend you know what you’re doing,” he continued, squeezing Levi’s hand and projecting confidence on him.  

“Okay,” Levi sighed, readjusting his grip on the reins. They tried again, this time Levi leading more forcefully. Erwin unclipped the lead rope so Levi could nudge the horse into a gentle trot. He could tell Levi was apprehensive, but it didn’t show outwardly, and Erwin channeled more trust into him. Eventually, Levi was confident enough to bring the horse to a canter. 

They stopped soon after that—Erwin knew Levi would get sore from the saddle if they continued much longer, and he could tell he was reaching his limit. 

“Next time we’ll try riding with the gear,” he said as they made their way back to the stables. Levi looked like he wanted to wash off, but they had to take care of the horse first. Erwin showed him how to brush down the horse, and by the time they were done, the gelding was nosing affectionately against him. 

“Dirty bastard,” Levi muttered, moving away from the horse’s head but still keeping his hand on its flank like Erwin had shown him so the horse would know where he was. 

“I think you’ve made a friend,” Erwin murmured, smiling.

*

Next was combat training.

“I’m not sure this is really necessary,” Levi grumbled as he stood across from Erwin, posture loose. 

“It’s important to keep up with all skills,” Erwin chided gently. “They teach hand-to-hand combat to cadets, so you should learn it, too.”

Levi rolled his eyes. He wasn’t exactly new to fighting, but he didn’t know how well he would be able to spar with his own guide. It went against every one of his instincts to attack Erwin.

“Just try to knock me down,” Erwin encouraged, shifting his stance. Levi hesitated, unsure, and then Erwin struck. Levi moved instinctively, turning Erwin’s momentum against him so that they both ended up on the ground, Levi pinning Erwin down. They stared at one another, Erwin’s eyes slightly widened. 

“I hope we’re not interrupting,” a voice said nearby. Levi swiftly rolled onto his feet, and Erwin sat up, brushing the dust from his jacket and looking up. 

Nanaba was standing, relaxed, a few feet from them, Mike behind her. She smiled as Erwin got to his feet.

“Combat training?” she asked. Erwin placed a hand on Levi’s shoulder, conscious of how his sentinel was bristling at what his instincts told him were interlopers. 

“Well, an attempt at combat training,” he said. “I haven’t seen either of you in a while.”

Nanaba shrugged. “You both needed some space,” she explained, turning to Mike to grab his hand. “We were newly bonded once, too, you know. We remember what it’s like.” 

Erwin felt a surge of understanding from her. “Thank you,” he said, letting her feel his gratitude. “You’ve both been a great help to us.”

She waved him off. “I know. We thought it was time to get back to normal...may we watch?” she asked. 

“Of course.” Erwin stepped back from Levi, resuming his fighting stance. Levi sighed, turning to him. 

“You know I used to get into fights all the time before I met you,” he muttered, suddenly springing at Erwin in an attempt to surprise him. Erwin could sense his intent through their bond, though, and neatly dodged him, easily getting him into a wrist lock. Levi twisted out of it, though and jumped onto Erwin. Erwin’s hands came up instinctively to catch his sentinel, and they stopped, staring at one another. Levi huffed, pushing against Erwin’s chest, and Erwin let go of him. 

They tried a few more times, with limited success. Though they were both experienced fighters, their bond made them too aware of each others’ intent. They swung and dodged, barely touching one another after a few rounds, the sparring more resembling dancing than fighting. Out of the corner of his eye, Levi saw Mike and Nanaba looking at one another, having a silent conversation.  

“Maybe we should step in,” Mike finally suggested. 

Erwin dropped his stance. “If you think that would help,” he replied. 

“It would,” Nanaba said, approaching Levi. “Try fighting me instead.”

Mike stiffened slightly, suppressing a growl. Of course he would be wary of his guide coming into contact with another sentinel—Erwin stepped back until they were side by side, placing a hand on his shoulder, channelling peace. It helped to calm him, but Levi’s eyes flashed unhappily at their contact. Erwin and Nanaba shared a brief flicker of exasperation. 

“ _Sentinels,_ ” Nanaba muttered, shaking her head before lunging at Levi. She was good at concealing her intent, so she caught him by surprise and managed a grab at him before he twisted away. He came at her, and she blocked him neatly. 

“You’re thinking too much,” she said, dodging him again. “I can sense what you’re going to do.”

Levi growled, barely blocking her attempt to knock his legs out from under him. They continued until Levi started to go on instinct, finally managing to pin Nanaba to the ground. He immediately sprung off her when Mike growled lowly, but still offered her a hand, pulling her to her feet. 

Nanaba dusted herself off and went back to her sentinel, allowing him touch her and check her for injuries. Satisfied that she was unhurt, he looped an arm around her to pull her to his side, giving a slight nod to Levi. Levi raised an eyebrow, but nodded back.  

Erwin chuckled as he made his way over to Levi, brushing back the dark hair that had fallen out of place during the sparring. 

“Well done,” he said, resting a hand on the back of Levi’s nape to ground him. 

“What, I didn’t hurt her so I have his approval now?” Levi murmured, leaning into his guide’s touch. 

“Something like that.”

*

Stress ran high as the next expedition drew nearer. 

Levi was excelling at his training. He’d gotten used to the gelding Erwin had started him with, and had started practicing with a more feisty mare, and finally, a powerful stallion. The stallion definitely wouldn’t be going on the expedition, but Erwin wanted to make sure Levi knew how to handle a temperamental horse, as the horses sometimes got spooked on the expeditions. 

They also got better with unarmed combat, and as Levi slowly became more comfortable around other soldiers, he started practicing with some of Erwin’s squad to hone his skills and get a better feeling for his comrades.  

Levi could easily keep up with even the more experienced veterans of the Scouts, but Erwin knew better than to assume he was just as good as them. However skilled a soldier was, it meant little if they didn’t know how to handle themselves outside the walls. 

Titans were terrifying. There was no way around that fact. They were enormous and sickening and single-minded. A good soldier could be killed in an instant if they were face with a titan reaching for them and froze. 

For Levi’s sake, Erwin decided he needed to see exactly what he was up against. One cold morning, they found themselves setting out to Wall Maria while the light was still dim. They scaled the wall with their gear quickly, making it to the top in time to see the sun just beginning to appear over the distant horizon. Levi watched the dawn break quietly, but Erwin could feel the twinge of wonder. He realized this was Levi’s first glimpse of the world beyond the walls. 

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Erwin murmured, wrapping an arm around Levi’s shoulders. Levi nodded, leaning slightly against Erwin for warmth. 

A Garrison soldier was patrolling nearby, nodding silently at them when she recognized Erwin. Erwin tilted his head in acknowledgment before stepping toward the edge of the wall with Levi. He felt Levi’s apprehension and squeezed his shoulder. The titans weren’t very active at this time of day, but they were still there. They were always there. As the pair leaned over the edge of the wall, they saw the titans below them, standing as if dazed, at the base of the wall. 

Levi shivered as his eyes scanned over them. They were still sluggish from the darkness, but it made them no less unnerving. The grotesque faces grinned vacantly up at them, arms weakly raised to grab at the soldiers dotting the top of the wall. Levi could probably see every detail of their gaping mouths. 

“Ugly fuckers,” he muttered under his breath. He sounded derisive, but Erwin felt the quiet fear growing in him. If there was one thing Erwin had learned about his sentinel in the time they were together, it was how well he hid his true emotions—it was a great privilege for Erwin to be able to know what Levi was truly feeling, and he knew he would never take that for granted. He ran a hand down Levi’s arm. 

“Don’t underestimate them,” he said quietly, squeezing his shoulder. “I’ve lost many good soldiers to titans. They don’t look like much from up here, but when you’re on the ground and they’re running at you at full speed...”

“I know,” Levi said, taking one last look at them before backing up. Erwin moved with him, putting distance between them and the edge of the wall. The sun had almost cleared the horizon now, casting light over the vast landscape before them. 

“I can see why you joined the Scouts,” Levi murmured. His eyes probably reached much farther than Erwin’s, making out the leaves on trees in the distance Erwin couldn’t even see. 

“Yes,” Erwin replied, gazing out at the steadily lightening landscape. “There’s a lot of world out there. I hope one day we’ll be able to see the rest of it.”

Levi sighed quietly, leaning against his side. 

“I’d like that,” he whispered. 

*

With the expedition only a few days away, Erwin began to grow nervous. He must have been projecting his anxiety, since Levi dragged him back to their room one afternoon after lunch.

“You need to relax,” Levi murmured, pushing Erwin backward until his legs hit the bed. Erwin sat willingly, and his sentinel slid onto his lap, brushing slender hands over his cheeks. 

“I can’t afford to be relaxed right now,” Erwin sighed, but he brought his hands up to stroke down Levi’s side. Levi hummed, leaning forward until he was resting against Erwin’s shoulder. He inhaled the scent there, his body loosening. 

“Yeah, well, you’re going to give the entire Scouting Legion a collective panic attack if you keep that up,” Levi grumbled, nuzzling against the side of Erwin’s neck. “They can feel it when you’re nervous.”

Erwin wrapped his arms around Levi’s middle, reaching out with his mind to ground themselves in their connection. It had been growing stronger as their bond settled. 

“I’m only worried about the expedition,” Erwin said. “There’s a lot riding on it.” He felt Levi sigh.

“I know,” Levi replied. “Do you think the MPs will back off after we come back alive?”

Erwin lingered on their connection, feeling Levi’s emotions. He sensed the anxiety that lay beneath the surface, threatening to show through. No matter how well he hid it, Levi was afraid. Afraid that something might happen on the expedition. That someone would decide they weren’t valuable enough as Scouts and have them locked up for the string of thefts Levi had committed.

With a pang of guilt, Erwin realized he’d been neglecting his duties as Levi’s guide. He was supposed to be helping Levi keep his control, and instead, he was letting his own emotions run wild. He focused on their bond, sending calm through it until Levi’s body loosened. 

“There’s a good chance they’ll leave us alone if we show that we’re valuable to humanity,” he finally said, turning to touch his lips to Levi’s temple.

“And if they don’t?” Levi mumbled. Erwin grimaced. 

“I’m working on it. Don’t worry.”

Levi skimmed his teeth along the side of Erwin’s neck, causing him to jerk at the intense sensation. 

“What will my soldiers think if they see bite marks all over my neck?” Erwin murmured as Levi nipped at the skin under his jaw. Levi growled slightly.

“Probably that you have a sentinel who’ll kick their asses if they look at you the wrong way,” he replied, but he backed off, settling for licking gently at Erwin’s skin instead. Erwin chuckled. 

“You’re part of my squad, too. They need to trust you, not feel afraid of you.” He tilted his head back, baring his neck as Levi continued. 

“They can trust that I won’t be happy with them if they let something bad happen to you. Can we talk about this later?” Levi asked, sitting up so he could shed his jacket and begin to undo the buckles of his harness. 

“I’ll hold you to that,” Erwin said, firmly grasping Levi around the waist to slide him off his lap, reaching for the buckle securing the harness across his own chest. Levi stood, quickly undoing the buttons on his shirt and kicking off his boots to shed the rest of his harness. Though he’d gotten used to the straps, they still irritated his senses after a few hours of training. Once Levi had shed his shirt, Erwin pulled him closer, pressing his lips gently to the slight bruising that mapped where the straps continually cut into flesh. Levi let him, carding his fingers through Erwin’s hair, mussing it. 

Levi eventually grew impatient, pushing Erwin back to grasp his jacket and pull it over his broad shoulders. Erwin took the hint and swiftly unbuttoned his shirt, pushing the loosened straps of his harness out of the way before tugging the shirt off. Reading Levi’s intentions, he scooted backward onto the bed until he was settled comfortably on the mattress. Levi wasted no time in crawling on top of him until their chests were pressed together—he rubbed his face along Erwin’s neck, practically purring. 

“Do you have any idea how tempting it was to do this in the mess hall so everyone in the goddamn Survey Corps could see you’re mine?” Levi muttered, inhaling deeply to pick up Erwin’s scent. Erwin groaned, folding his arms around Levi’s middle.  

“As sympathetic as some of them might be to our bond, I think that might scare the cadets a bit,” he replied, stroking his finger gently over Levi’s back. Though the details of sentinel-guide bonds were lost on most people, they still had a rough idea of how territorial sentinels were, and most of the Survey veterans had witnessed some of Mike’s protective instincts. Still, Erwin and Levi received many curious looks as they integrated back into day-to-day life as a bonded pair. Though that may have had something to do with Levi’s unbelievable skills.  

Levi hummed, licking carefully along Erwin’s throat. They did this often—though their bond was settling nicely, it was still new, and that meant they had to frequently reconnect like this. Erwin moved slowly with his sentinel, burying his fears deep so he could be the supportive guide that Levi needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like to imagine Erwin and Nanaba having tea together and complaining about all the dumb territorial things their sentinels do. Then Levi and Mike try to have tea together, but they just growl at each other and their hair gets all fluffed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the last chapter! Hope you enjoy it.
> 
> Just a quick note about Erwin's squad—I hope it's not too confusing that they're suddenly all being mentioned by name, but the only new soldier (other than Levi) is Ada Kahler. Thomson and Welsch were introduced previously as the two surviving members of Erwin's squad from their last expedition.

The day of the expedition came far too quickly. 

There was so much to do—Erwin in particular had to balance his time between overseeing Levi’s training, managing the rest of his squad, and meeting with the other officers to go over the details of the formation they’d been experimenting with recently. He could hardly believe how quickly the time had passed when he and Levi woke up on the morning of the expedition. 

They dressed and went to breakfast as usual, Levi silent and thoughtful as they went through their normal routine. The mess hall was quieter than normal, the tension palpable. Erwin strengthened his mental shields so he wouldn’t be overrun by the rampant fear and anticipation the soldiers were projecting. He already had enough on his mind. 

He had no idea how Levi would react to threats outside the wall. As an officer, Erwin could order Levi to stay back and allow the more experienced soldiers to take down any titans they came across. As a sentinel, though, Levi was prepared to do anything to protect this guide, even if that meant disobeying a direct order, and that was what worried Erwin. When they went out to the stables to see to their horses, Erwin decided to voice his concern.

“Levi...” he began, hesitating. Levi glanced back as his horse nudged his shoulder.

“What is it?” he asked as he stroked the nose of the mare he’d be taking on the expedition. 

Erwin sighed. “You’ve shown incredible skill in your training, and I have no doubt you’re capable of outshining many of our veterans. But...you’ve never been outside the walls before,” he began, choosing his words carefully. Levi tilted his head, giving him his full attention. 

“You saw the titans gathered outside the wall, and I know you can handle yourself, but please promise me something,” Erwin said. “I’ve lost many good, skilled soldiers simply because all the training they did and skills they acquired couldn’t prepare them to face these monsters. So please promise me that whatever happens, you’ll keep yourself safe above anything else.”

Levi frowned slightly, his brows pulling together. 

“Do you want me to run away and leave you to face the danger on your own?” he said quietly. Erwin felt his sentinel’s emotions stirring. He reached out quickly with his mind, trying to soothe before Levi became upset.

“No, Levi,” he murmured. “But I’ve killed many titans, and I have Thomson to back me up—she’s been in my squad a while and she’s helped me take down titans before. I’m not trying to shelter you just because you’re my bondmate,” he clarified, placing a hand on Levi’s shoulder. “I told the other new cadet in my squad the same thing I’m telling you. It’s more important that you get a feel for what an expedition is like and come back alive. No one expects you to take down a titan your first time outside the walls.”

He could have simply ordered Levi to comply, but then he would be taking advantage of his authority, and he couldn’t find it in himself to force that upon Levi. Besides, Levi barely ever acknowledged that his guide outranked him—this was something they had to negotiate as partners. 

He brought a hand up to brush over Levi’s jaw. Levi sighed, allowing Erwin to cup his face, leaning into the touch. 

“You know I can’t promise to ignore my protective instincts,” he muttered, calming as Erwin stroked his cheek. “But I promise I’ll try to stay out of danger.”

Erwin felt the sincerity in his words, and he knew that was the best answer he could get from his sentinel. 

“Okay,” he whispered, stepping forward and pulling Levi against him. Levi came willingly, settling his face against Erwin’s chest. With any luck, Levi wouldn’t have to act on his promise, but in the vast world beyond the walls, there were no guarantees. 

*

The enormous expedition party slowly began to assemble around the center of Survey headquarters. Voices murmured and horses snorted as everyone found their approximate place in the formation. New cadets stared around anxiously, while the more experienced veterans simply waited quietly, expressionless. 

Erwin gathered his squad along one edge of the yard, feeling very much like a mother duck corralling her ducklings. Levi was in his squad, of course, perched atop his mare, who seemed content to stand next to Erwin’s gelding and sniff at the other horse. 

There were three other soldiers in Erwin’s squad—Thomson, Welsch, and Kahler. Thomson had been with Erwin the longest, and she was just as skilled as he was at taking out titans. Welsch had joined his squad on their previous expedition and he had, at the very least, not been killed. Kahler was a new cadet, though she’d demonstrated outstanding skill and levelheadedness during training exercises. Erwin hoped her sensibility would serve her well outside the walls, but like Levi, she’d never faced a titan, so he worried for her safety. 

Kahler and Welsch talked quietly while Thomson simply sat on her horse and breathed deeply. Erwin could feel her mentally prepare herself as she always did, so he didn’t bother her. Levi sat next to him, his emotions mostly calm. He looked no different from any of the other soldiers, save for the soft cravat wrapped around his neck, a gift from Erwin to keep his wool cloak from itching his sensitive skin. Erwin extended a hand to him, and he took it, silently strengthening their connection. There was nothing they could say to each other that had not already been said, so they simply waited.  

Erwin could feel Nanaba on the other side of the yard, and by extension, Mike. They were calm as ever, though Mike was projecting the subtle worry he always felt before an expedition. They’d had too many near misses over the years for him to ever feel comfortable with Nanaba outside the walls, but they were absolutely lethal together and in his mind, Mike realized his guide could hold her own without his protection.

The rest of the soldiers were also projecting their fears, some louder than others. With a slight mental surge, Erwin got Nanaba’s attention, and together, they washed a gently reassuring calm over the yard. Before they could check to see how well it had worked, though, Commander Shadis’s voice rang loud in the air, and the company began to slowly make its way into the streets toward the looming gates. Erwin nudged his horse into a steady walk, and his squad followed suit, keeping close behind him. Levi was riding closest to him—Erwin could see his mare’s head in his periphery, but he stayed behind his squad leader—a rare, silent acknowledgment of Erwin’s authority. 

Civilians lined the streets to watch as they passed—some of the younger faces held expressions of wonder, but most were grim. Erwin felt their varied emotions, everything from derision to worry to disapproval. Muffled shouts sounded occasionally, likely from Wallists preaching about the heresy of passing beyond the protection of the walls. The soldiers ignored them, either out of habit or because they were too far inside their own heads to notice. Soon enough, they had reached the gates, and the squads quickly shuffled into their exact positions. Erwin twisted in his saddle, already feeling the minds of the four soldiers in his squad but wanting to visually check that they were prepared.

“Is everyone ready?” he asked. His soldiers nodded back at him. “Remember that anything can happen once we’re out of the gate,” he began, making brief eye contact with each of them—Kahler and Welsch both wide-eyed but ready, Thomson as stoic as the other experienced soldiers, and Levi simply staring back at him, his face not giving away his nerves. 

“Whatever happens, keep calm. Don’t stray far from our position in the formation. If a titan comes at us, let Thomson and I handle it.” He caught Thomson’s eye again, and she nodded. “You’re all capable of taking down a titan, but our priority is to come back with as few casualties as possible. Only engage with them if Thomson and I are unable to—it’s more important that you become better accustomed to expeditions so you’ll know what to do in the future. Understand?” His soldiers nodded, Welsch and Kahler projecting a hint of relief that they weren’t expected to fight the titans unless they had to. 

Ahead of them, the enormous gates started to creak and click as they slowly opened. The company began to move, first at a walk, then a trot, and once they neared the gates, a quick canter. Erwin’s squad stayed close behind him, and as they passed through the gates, they followed him as he veered slightly to the right to put the squad in its proper position in the formation. Erwin sensed the loud mixture of wonder and fear his squad projected as they cleared the gates.  

Without warning, a five meter titan burst from a patch of trees clustered near the base of the wall directly to their right, ambling toward them with its arms outstretched. The sudden jolt of surprise and fear from his squad struck Erwin, but before he could fully process it, he blocked the distress from his mind and deployed his wires into a tree they were about to pass, swinging in a large ark around its trunk and coming up behind the titan. He was too low to reach its nape, so instead he slashed clean through the backs of its legs. It fell ungracefully to the ground as he fired his gear again to carry him into the safety of another tree. The hiss of wires sounded behind him, and as he reached a sturdy branch, he turned in time to see Thomson following a similar path as him, her blades slicing precisely through the felled titan’s nape. 

The titan suddenly fell limp, its enormous body already beginning to steam. Erwin whistled for his horse, who obediently trotted up under the tree. With a quick check to make sure there were no other titans in the immediate area, he rappelled down the trunk of the tree and dropped into his saddle, quickly spurring the horse forward to join back with the others. It only took a few moments to catch up with his squad, Thomson close behind him. As he neared his soldiers, he lowered his mental shields to extend his mind to reach Levi’s, and flinched at what he felt, urging his horse forward to reach his sentinel. 

Levi’s distress was loud, and as Erwin came up alongside him, he saw that his face was pale as he looked back at Erwin, his eyes wide and afraid. Erwin grimaced—he was a fool to think his sentinel would not react badly to him being so close to such a dangerous, murderous monster. It must have taken a considerable amount of self control to not go after Erwin and protect him, and Levi’s strain was apparent. 

“It’s all right,” Erwin breathed quietly, knowing Levi would hear him. “I’m fine.” 

He wanted to reach out to Levi physically—hold him close and show him he was truly unhurt, but they were moving quickly through dangerous territory, and Erwin had a responsibility to his squad. He contented himself with reaching out to his sentinel mentally, comforting and reassuring him while he moved to the head of the squad again, leading them back to their proper position in the formation. 

As he felt Levi calm, Erwin skimmed over the minds of the rest of his squad to check that they were okay. Welsch and Kahler were both spooked and on edge, and Thomson was radiating the same post-kill high that Erwin felt. Going after a titan was nerve-wracking, as there was always a good chance something fatal would happen. Surviving often brought on a sort of macabre sense of relief. 

They continued to move forward toward the distant hilly area that the Survey Corps was attempting to map out that day. Erwin sent back a brief wave of calm alertness over his squad before reaching out with his mind, searching for the squads around them. He located them easily, exactly where they were supposed to be. There was plenty of fear concentrated around the squads on the edge of the formation, but no one was panicking yet. Good. 

“I hear something,” Levi suddenly said. Erwin felt his abrupt alertness, his tension almost palpable. 

“Where?” Erwin asked sharply, his eyes roving the trees for movement before he glanced behind him. Levi tilted his head, his eyes closed. 

“Directly ahead of us. Two hundred meters. They’re...they’re moving fast,” Levi said, his alarm apparent. Probably deviants, then.  

“Welsch, fire a black signal,” Erwin ordered. His soldier complied, fumbling with his signal gun before firing the dark smoke into the air. “Levi—what else can you tell me?”

“There are two of them, but they sound big...I think they know we’re here. They’re getting closer,” he said. Erwin felt his panic and sent back a feeling of calm. They had to act now. 

“Okay, everyone get into the trees!” Erwin yelled, picking out a nearby tree with a few sturdy branches and launching himself into it. His squad followed, the air suddenly filled with the hiss of wires. Levi landed on a branch near him.

“Fifty yards,” he said, eyes focused ahead, body tense. A surge of appreciation for Levi’s keen senses ran through Erwin—if he hadn’t been with them, they wouldn’t have known any titans were there until it was too late. He could very well have saved them all. 

“Well done, Levi,” he murmured. Levi focused on him for a moment, his face softening, before he concentrated again on the nearby threat. Erwin glanced around at his squad, taking note of their positions. Welsch and Kahler were high in a pair of trees not too far away, and Thomson was positioned close to the two soldiers, blades drawn, ready to strike. 

He heard them, then. Up ahead, crashing through the trees, and coming fast. He turned briefly to Levi.

“Keep yourself safe,” he pleaded before drawing his blades. He felt a flash of emotion from Levi, but before he could identify it, the titans appeared through the trees. 

Levi was correct—there were two of them, both around ten meters in size, and they were fast. One of them had abnormally long limbs, which were flailing as it charged forward, and the other was oddly thin with a large, disproportionate head and a terrifying lopsided grin. They didn’t appear to be paying attention to the humans perched in the trees above them, but at they drew nearer, the flailing one suddenly leaped up, its hand crashing against the tree Kahler was in. The force of the blow threw Kahler from her branch—she shrieked, plummeting toward the ground. 

“Ada!” Welsch cried, bracing himself on the trunk of his own tree, which had also been jostled by the titan. Before Kahler could hit the ground, though, she managed to reach the firing mechanism on her gear, shooting a wire into the trunk of the tree and jerking to a stop a few meters from the ground. 

“Kahler, get higher!” Erwin yelled as the long limbed titan bent down lopsidedly, its hands reaching for the terrified cadet. He looked to Thomson, but she was occupied by the other titan—its arms swinging up lazily to swipe at her as she stood her ground. The titan reaching for Kahler was perfectly distracted, so he fired his gear, propelling himself toward it. With the way it was bent, its neck was perfectly exposed, and all Erwin had to do was drive the blades through that small spot on its nape...

The titan turned suddenly, its arm flailing out and knocking against Erwin’s wires, jerking him sideways. He immediately released his grappling hooks before the wires got twisted, sending him flying into the side of a tree. The impact knocked the breath from him and momentarily stunned him—before he could fire his gear again, he dropped painfully to the ground, rolling instinctively. A sudden spike of dread and anger filled him as he weakly attempted to draw a breath, and he realized too late that it had come from Levi. 

He looked up in time to see his sentinel—face full of cold, calculating rage—shooting toward the titan, his blades gleaming. He was almost a blur as he came down on the titan, swiftly slashing through its nape. Before the titan had even hit the ground, Levi had shot back in the other direction, coming upon the titan that was still distracted by Thomson and felling it with a quick, precise swipe of his blades. The two titans hit the ground, causing it to tremble, and then there was silence.

Erwin stared at his sentinel’s handiwork. He’d never seen anyone take out two titans that swiftly before. Levi quickly swung around, sheathing his blades launching himself toward Erwin with practiced ease and landing lightly on the ground before him. 

“Are you okay?” Levi demanded, rushing forward and reaching out, brushing his hands down Erwin’s torso, checking for injuries. His mind felt frantic and worried. 

“I’m fine,” Erwin managed, still recovering from having the breath knocked from him. He looped an arm around Levi, pulling him against his chest. “Those were impressive kills,” he murmured. Levi growled, pushing himself under Erwin’s cloak and burying his face in his jacket, inhaling. As his sentinel calmed, Erwin looked around, accounting for the rest of his squad. Kahler had pulled herself onto a branch next to Welsch, and Thomson had not moved from her perch, though she was scanning the trees, still alert. 

“Let’s not linger—we have to keep moving forward,” he called to his squad, gently stroking down Levi’s back before pulling away and whistling for his horse. The horse came quickly, snorting as it reached him. Erwin hummed quietly, doing his best to soothe the gelding before remounting. His soldiers followed suit, dropping to the ground and finding their horses. 

“Kahler, are you all right?” Erwin asked his soldier as she pulled herself back onto her saddle, grimacing. 

“I’m not hurt, Sir,” she replied, readjusting her uniform. Erwin nodded. 

“Excellent reaction time,” he said, allowing a tendril of pride to reach her—she smiled slightly at the feeling. “Let’s get back into position,” Erwin continued, addressing the rest of the squad. “We’ve fallen behind.”

They set off again, this time spurring their horses to a near gallop to catch up with the formation. Though his squad was shaken from the attack, Erwin allowed himself a surge of confidence. He’d been worrying for weeks about how Levi would react to facing the titans up close, but he now saw that his worry was unnecessary. Levi was absolutely lethal and particularly clear-minded, especially considering how easy it was for a sentinel to become irrational and feral if their guide was in danger. But he’d performed just as well, if not better, than any seasoned veteran of the Scouts. 

The sparse trees quickly gave way to grass, and they were soon riding out in the open. Erwin concentrated, seeking out the minds of nearby squads. He located them quickly and tried to pinpoint how far off his squad was from its proper place in the formation.

“Almost there,” Levi said behind him, sensing his intent.  

“Good,” Erwin replied, sending a quiet thanks to Levi. “We’re not going to slow down once we’ve caught up, though,” he continued, addressing the entire squad. “We’ll keep this pace until we reach tree cover—understood?”

A chorus of “Yes, Sir” sounded behind him, and they continued forward. 

The flat grasslands seemed to extend forever. Erwin was wary of being out in the open, especially after what had happened on the previous expedition. There was an odd tree here and there, but not enough to protect them if they ran into titans. Luckily, there weren’t any titans nearby—between Erwin’s empathy and Levi’s heightened senses, they roughly knew what was going on throughout the entire formation. 

Erwin felt a spike of fear just before a red smoke signal shot up to their right. 

“Thomson, fire the signal,” he ordered, throwing his mind toward the distress. 

“They’ve got it,” Levi said a moment later—he was listening hard. Erwin concentrated, and sure enough, the other squad’s emotions had evened out. He relaxed, letting out a breath. They didn’t need any titans breaking through the lines when they were out in the open. Green smoke signals appeared at their left, and they readjusted their course. 

They rode through the open space for what seemed like ages. Occasionally, a squad along the outer edges would encounter titans, and the formation adjusted accordingly. It was turning into an uneventful trek until red smoke appeared a few hundred meters ahead of them. Erwin focused on locating the affected squad, and he felt Levi do the same. 

“ _Shit_ ,” he heard Levi mutter. Erwin concentrated, feeling the minds of the squad ahead of them. Sure enough, minds were being extinguished, the terror of the remaining soldiers spiking. He pulled back before the emotions overwhelmed him. 

There was little they could do to prepare for titans out in the open, except perhaps alter their course to avoid them. 

“It got through,” Levi said, his worry escalating. 

“Sir, should we take evasive action?” Thomson asked. He felt her uneasiness. 

“Yes, we’ll head closer to the center of the formation,” Erwin decided, steering his horse left. His squad followed suit. “Fire a black signal—we need to warn the other squads that it broke through.” 

Levi grew tenser as they headed closer to the center of the formation.

“I can see it,” he said, his eyes fixed on a spot at their right. Erwin followed his gaze, but he saw nothing yet. 

“What direction is it heading?" 

Levi squinted, and Erwin felt his resignation. 

“Toward us.” 

The squad’s fear skyrocketed. Erwin sighed—they didn’t have many options. 

“How big is it?” he asked. 

“Fourteen, maybe fifteen meters,” Levi said. “It’s an ugly fucker, too.”

Great. It was a large titan, which meant it was faster. 

“We’ll outrun the titan for as long as we can,” Erwin told his squad, twisting so he could see them in his periphery. “There’s no tree cover nearby, so we may have to engage it out in the open. If that happens, we’ll have to work as a team to bring it down.”

His soldiers nodded. Erwin sensed their dread, and he did his best to project peace and determination. They wouldn’t be able to coordinate if they were all terrified. His influence began to work, and a calm fell over his squad. 

This is what he’d been afraid of. Encountering a titan out in the open was one of the most dangerous situations that could happen to a squad on an expedition, regardless of how skilled the soldiers were. Were they doomed to be eaten? Maybe this is what the Military Police had hoped would happen—let the bonded pair go out on an expedition and not return. Problem solved. 

“It’s getting closer,” Levi said, still staring at the far away titan. Erwin squinted—he could just make out the titan now, a speck in the distance. 

“Okay,” Erwin said, taking a deep breath. “If we want to have any chance of killing the titan, we’ll need to distract it,” he began. “As it approaches, we’ll spread out in a circle. Welsch, Thomson—you two will ride ahead of me. Kahler—ride slightly ahead and to the right. Levi—to the left. Everyone stay close enough that you can hear me, but spread out as much as you can. The titan will likely focus on one or two of us. If it focuses on you, ride like hell. Everyone else will go for the titan if you have a clear shot.”

“Definitely fifteen meters,” Levi muttered. The squad stared at the approaching titan, its long legs carrying it swiftly toward them, an unnerving grin spread across its face.

“You can still disable the titan if you can’t reach its nape,” Erwin continued. “Go for the backs of its legs or its shoulders. Just remember to give a shout before you engage so you don’t crash into anyone else. Once you’ve made a pass, get the hell away from the titan. Does everyone understand?” he asked. 

“Yes, Sir,” his soldiers replied. The titan was one hundred meters away now—time to act. 

“Spread out now!” Erwin yelled, slowing his horse for a moment so his squad could get into position in front of him. Kahler and Levi veered off to the side, and Thomson and Welsch spurred their horses ahead of him, just as he’d ordered. Now he could see every soldier in his squad. 

The titan drew closer, its arms outstretched. They definitely weren’t going to outrun it. As it approached, it began to turn more toward the front end of their rough circle. 

“Thomson, Welsch—it’s following you! Pick up speed!” Erwin yelled. The two soldiers obeyed, shooting terrified glances at the approaching titan before spurring their horses to a gallop. “Kahler, Levi—get behind it, come on!”  

They veered toward the titan, quickly moving out of its periphery. Erwin saw a chance. 

“Going for the legs!” he shouted, aiming his gear carefully and firing—a hook secured itself into the titan’s side, and he flew through the air, his blades drawn. The titan’s legs were moving too much as it ran, though, and he missed his mark, instead slicing a chunk out of its outer thigh. His hook released, and he hurtled to the ground, landing hard on his feet, stumbling. 

“Erwin!” Levi spurred his horse toward him, his anxiety projecting loudly. 

“I’m fine. Go, go!” Erwin said, whistling for his horse, who came immediately. Levi hesitated, but turned back when Erwin remounted, trying not to wince in pain. The titan was still chasing Welsch and Thomson, and it was gaining on them. Erwin urged his horse forward, the gelding snorting but picking up speed. 

Kahler was the closest one to the titan now, and she turned back briefly, eyes landing on Erwin and Levi, both too far away to engage the titan. Erwin felt a spike of determination from her, and then she was soaring through the air toward the titan’s nape. Her hook hadn’t landed quite where she needed it, though, and instead of reaching its nape, she managed to make a deep cut through the back of one of its shoulders. The cut severed something, and the titan’s arm fell limp. Kahler was too high up to simply drop to the ground, though, so instead of releasing her hook, she smacked into the titan’s back. The titan slowed, appearing to notice her.  

“Kahler, get down from there!” Erwin shouted, frantically digging his heels into his horse’s side. Levi was right beside him, and they quickly caught up to titan, which was clumsily swiping at Kahler with its good arm. She was fumbling with her gear, trying desperately to release the single hook tethering her to the titan’s back.  

Erwin felt Levi give a mental push, their bond showing Erwin his sentinel’s intent. He sent back a silent acknowledgment, and then Levi was soaring through the air. Levi had aimed low, flying in an arc toward the titan’s legs, while Erwin aimed a hook at the titan’s back, waiting a split second before he acted. Levi bore down upon the titan in a graceful swoop, his blades passing cleanly through the back of its legs. As the blades hit their mark and the titan began to fall to its knees, Erwin fired his gear, the hook burying itself right where he needed it, on the titan’s busted shoulder. Levi was already clear of the titan, bracing himself and rolling as he hit the ground hard. Erwin felt his pain through the bond, but it didn’t distract him as he came down on the titan’s neck, slashing precisely through its nape. 

The titan began to tilt forward, and before it could crash to the ground, Erwin cut clean through the flesh that Kahler’s hook was buried in, releasing her. As she slid down its back, she braced against the hot flesh and launched herself off the titan. Erwin followed, leaping just before the titan hit the ground. He landed hard, but upright, next to the titan’s steaming shoulder, bending his legs and allowing his knees to hit the ground to soften the landing.  

Before he could right himself, Levi was upon him, tackling and pinning him to the ground. 

“I fucking...hate...titans,” Levi growled, desperately inhaling Erwin’s scent and rubbing himself over his guide. Erwin laughed weakly, cupping the back of Levi’s head and pressing a kiss to his brow before sitting up, his sentinel half in his lap. 

He looked around—Kahler had gotten to her feet and was dusting herself off, her horse waiting patiently beside her. Thomson and Welsch had turned and were heading back. It was near miraculous that they’d all survived, Erwin thought, as he wrapped an arm around Levi and pulled them both to their feet. They would have some nasty bruises later on, but they were alive. 

“You don’t hear any other titans around, do you?” Erwin asked, wiping the dirt from his uniform. Levi shook his head.

“No,” he said, leaning slightly on Erwin.

“Good,” Erwin muttered. “Let’s just...take a minute, then.” 

Levi hummed, stepping away from Erwin and whistling for his horse, which came quickly, Erwin’s horse following close behind.  

“I think they like each other,” Levi murmured. Erwin looked up just in time to see his gelding and Levi’s mare bump noses, snorting softly. He chuckled. 

As the squad slowly gathered, Levi held out a hand, and Erwin took it, not caring about the glances his soldiers gave them. As their skin met, Erwin felt Levi calm, his mind settling. 

They’d done something amazing. They still had to survive the rest of the expedition, of course, but Erwin was confident—more confident than he had ever been—that they would live. When they got back, Erwin knew word would quickly spread about the squad leader and his rookie sentinel who had taken down a fifteen meter titan without even a tree in sight. People would attribute it to their skill and mental connection, and they would be right. 

The Military Police would hear about it as well, no doubt. They would struggle to maintain a case against Erwin and Levi, but it would be fruitless. They were too valuable to the Scouts to be locked away. The case would be dropped. They would be free. 

As the squad remounted and started to head back to their position in the formation, Erwin keenly felt Levi’s presence beside him, and he allowed a tendril of something special to flow through their bond—something he hadn’t felt in a long time. Hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's all! Much thanks to everyone who has left comments and kudos—I truly appreciate it. You're welcome to check out my eruri sideblog [improbabledicks](http://improbabledicks.tumblr.com/) and drop me a line if you want to talk about sentinel/guide eruri or mikenana because that is my jam.


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